Supporting an LGBTQ+-Inclusive Curriculum

Our blog post 5 Ways to Support an LGBTQ+-Inclusive Curriculum describes why inclusion of LGBTQ+ learning is valuable to all students, and provides guidance and strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Following is a summary of the five strategies:

1. 1. 1. Teach LGBTQ+-Inclusive American History. Teaching about events and contributors specifically associated to the LGBTQ+ movement is important—see BrainPOP’s topics Pride 2020 and Harvey Milk as a place to begin. But equally important is exploring how gay rights and identity are related to historical movements. For example, include a lesson on the Lavender Scare when teaching about the Cold War.
      2. Honor Cultural Contributions and LGBTQ+ Heroes. Mark LGBTQ+ holidays and awareness days on the class calendar to serve as a platform for ongoing class discussions that support LGBTQ+ visibility. See the blog post for a list of dates.
      3. Explore Pop Culture. Review books, movies, music, podcasts, and news articles that provide first-person voices from the LGBTQ+ community.
      4. Commit to Culturally Responsive Teaching. Include references to LGBTQ+ culture in lessons that acknowledges, values, and encourages the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community.
      5. Highlight Gender in English/Language Arts Lessons: Teaching about gender diversity and gender-neutral pronouns in grammar and language lessons, for example, is a meaningful way to bring LGBTQ+ visibility to the curriculum. BrainPOP’s topic on Personal Pronouns is a great place to begin!