Educate, Part 2: Make Your Curriculum Inclusive

 Harvey Milk - the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.

An LGBT-inclusive curriculum that provides positive representations of LGBT people, history and events helps to create a tone of acceptance of LGBT people and increase awareness of LGBT-related issues, resulting in a more supportive environment for LGBT students.  GLSEN's National School Climate Survey consistently finds that students with inclusive curricula have a greater sense of belonging to their school community, hear fewer homophobic remarks and are less likely to be victimized or feel unsafe at school than those without inclusive curriculum.

There are many ways to include positive representations of LGBT people, history and events in your curriculum.  Here are a few suggestions.

Only one-tenth of LGBT students were exposed to positive representations of LGBT people, history or events in their classes.  Additionally, less than a fifth of LGBT students reported that LGBT-related topics were included in their textbooks or other assigned readings. -2007 National School Climate Survey

INCLUDE LGBT HISTORY

Raise the visibility of LGBT people and communities by providing students with concrete examples of LGBT people in history and LGBT-related historical events.  For example, when teaching about the Holocaust or about civil rights movements , be sure to include the persecution, struggles and successes of the LGBT community.  You can show documentary films, such as Out of the Past or Gay Pioneers, or you can use GLSEN's When Did It Happen: LGBT History Lesson to teach about important leaders and events in LGBT history.  For resources, visit http://www.glsen.org/educator.

INCLUDE DIVERSE FAMILIES

Whenever possible include examples of diverse families, including same-sex couples and LGBT parents, while referencing families in the classroom.  Providing students with these examples can help LGBT students and students with LGBT family members to feel included in the classroom.

USE LGBT-INCLUSIVE LITERATURE

It is important for students to see themselves reflected in the school curriculum.  Using LGBT-inclusive literature will help to create a welcoming space for LGBT students, as well as promote respect and acceptance among all students.  Be sure to use books that feature positive and diverse representation of LGBT characters.  You can use GLSEN's BookLink (an online resource featuring LGBT-themed and LGBT-inclusive books organized by grade level) to find appropriate books for your curriculum.

CELEBRATE LGBT EVENTS

Celebrating LGBT events can help LGBT students feel included in the school.  Promote LGBT events throughout the school as you would any other cultural celebration.  Celebrate LGBT History Month in October or LGBT Pride Month in June by displaying signs, alerting students and recognizing the struggles, contributions and victories of the LGBT community.