Use this short guide to plan a powerful Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) History Month in your school, and find more resources to help you celebrate at www.LGBTHistoryMonth.org.
Speak up - make the invisible visible
First and foremost, LGBT History Month is about making the invisible visible. LGBT people already exist in English, Social Studies, Science, Math and Art curricula; the problem is their invisibility. For example, many authors who regularly appear on reading lists of American and British Literature were/are LGBT people: James Baldwin, Willa Cather, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Walker, Walt Whitman, E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, Countee Cullen, Hans Christian Andersen, Audre Lorde, Oscar Wilde, and Henry David Thoreau are just a few.
There are also countless politicians, social activists, scientists, mathematicians, artists, philosophers, inventors, and even world leaders, who comprise the historical and contemporary LGBT global community. Many of these individuals are discussed in your classes, and knowing about their sexual orientation often can help students (and teachers!) gain a better understanding of their contributions to society.
At the same time, there are many LGBT notables who did not receive the recognition they deserved in their time as a direct result of bias against them. A perfect example is Bayard Rustin, a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) inner circle and the primary organizer for the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Due to controversy over his sexual orientation, however, his monumental contributions to the movement often have been overlooked. For more information on Bayard Rustin, see the Brother Outsider documentary listed at the end of this resource.
Similarly, issues concerning sexual orientation and gender identity/expression are central to subjects already featured in U.S. and Global History classes. Encourage your teachers to be inclusive-- when teaching about McCarthyism, why not include information about the vilification of LGBT people? When teaching about the Holocaust, why not include information about the Nazi persecution of LGBT people and the origin of the pink triangle? When teaching about the social movements of the 1960s and 70s, why not include information about the Gay Rights Movement? When teaching about the European Renaissance, why not include information about cross-dressing on the Shakespearean stage?
Make the Visible Visual
Bulletin boards, display cases and murals are great ways to involve your school community in recognizing the contributions of LGBT people throughout history. You can design your visuals around themes ("Famous Lesbians," "LGBT People of Color," "LGBT Scientists," "LGBT Athletes") or time periods ("The Modern Gay Rights Movement," "Gay Medieval History"). Even something as simple as putting up a single poster in each classroom can have a dramatic impact.
Diversify the Library
Do a search of your school library, and find materials that include information about LGBT people in history. Talk to your librarian about adding more such resources. Organize a book drive and ask students, faculty, and staff for donations. Let public libraries, university libraries and book publishers know, and they may just give you some of their overstock!
Invite Guest Speakers
People often respond empathically to live voices of personal knowledge. Many local GLSEN chapters and community-based LGBT organizations have "speakers bureaus" whose members are trained to lead school-based workshops for teachers and students. Try to involve speakers of varying ages; youth can be particularly effective in reaching students, and LGBT elders can bring a broader historical perspective.
Bring the Teachers Up to Speed
How much do your teachers, especially the history teachers, really know about LGBT history? Share your resources with them so that they will be able to teach effectively, and so that LGBT History can be integrated across your school’s curriculum.
Movie Night
Stage free after-school screenings of Gay Pioneers and the other films listed in this resource. Or, screen the films in the evening, invite people from your local community, and charge a few bucks admission to raise money for your student club or a local LGBT organization. Hold an informal discussion after each screening. Don't forget to make lots of popcorn!
Publicize Your Activities
Include information about LGBT History Month in your school newspaper, radio programming, and announcements. Notify your local media outlets; they can cover your school's plans for LGBT History Month, or interview participating students and teachers.
Go Beyond October!
October should not be the only time we discuss lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history. LGBT history is a part of, not apart from, your current curriculum; it just takes some research and planning to make it more visible. Think about ways to share LGBT material with your school community throughout the year. October should begin, rather than end, the discussion of LGBT history.
Additional Resources
Check out these great books and videos, and find more on the GLSEN BookLink at www.glsen.org, or email booklink@glsen.org!
Books on LGBT History
- Faderman, Lillian. To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America
- Feinberg, Leslie. Transgender Warriors.
- Marcus, Eric. Making Gay History: The Half-Century Struggle for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights
- Miller, Neil. Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History 1867-Present.
Films on LGBT History
- Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (83 minutes)
Traces the life of Bayard Rustin, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s key advisor and dedicated civil rights activist.
- Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100 (60 Minutes)
Explores a century of LGBT history by documenting the life and times of Ruth Ellis, who, before her death in 2000, was the oldest living African-American lesbian.
- Out of The Past (70 Minutes)
1998 film tracing the emergence of gays and lesbians in American history; GLSEN publishes a companion teacher’s guide.
