LGBTQ: SAMPLE LESSONS


Student-Driven LGBT Anti-Bullying Campaign
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) biennial National School Climate Survey documents the experiences of students who identify as LGBT in America's secondary schools. The 2009 survey includes responses from 7,261 LGBT students between the ages of 13 and 21 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Among GLSEN’s findings are that nearly 9 our 10 LGBT students experience harassment in schools.

Let's Talk About Latex
LGBTQ youth have told us that teachers presenting sexual health in their schools can be counted on to take a heteronormative approach. That is, the approach taken assumes that all relationships of a sexual nature are opposite sex relationships. These relationships are the ones that are assumed to be normal. LGBTQ youth feel excluded from the discussion and strongly feel that when the discussion focuses only on a penis penetrating a vagina, it remains irrelevant for meeting the needs of all members of a class. As one youth expressed this issue to us, “Not everyone is going to decide to have vaginal sex, and when they make other choices, they need to know how to protect themselves.”

Stereotyping and Rating The Ads
In this lesson, LGBTQ issues are raised within the broader context of other media stereotypes with which students may be familiar. In this lesson, stereotyping itself is intended to become the focus, whether it’s based on stereotypes involving issues such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression/identity or religion.