LGBTQ - Curriculum development. Advice requested

[Smittolis]

All,

I am working on creating a new inclusive curriculum that better serves my schools community, and this includes the creation of an open discussion and exploration into Sexual Identity, Gender expression as well as the various and often complex issues associated with them and society.

I am a High School Teacher and I am working with a number of local support groups and national bodies to help devise a positive and supportive educational experience for everyone. As this is a relatively active forum, I wanted to see if anyone on here has any interest in sharing some of their experiences of education with me and things that they would like to see students learn through the private education system. As we are a private institution, we are not confined by some of the more restrictive education policies that may prevent open discourse etc....

If you are interested in helping me create a positive experience please reach out to me directly, I would love to hear from you.

**This is a 100% private and confidential request so no personal information will be shared, all information will be used to help create a curriculum for a charitable non-profit community school.**

 

[Chuck S]

I'n not sure exactly what you're wanting. Like a history of the GLBT rights movement? If so, I'd say look for some documentaries on Stonewall, there are some decent ones out there. That would at least be a starting point for discussions on equal rights. I went to a very liberal private school for Junior High, and we were able to delve into a lot of topics that public schools could not...it really was a way to expand our perspective on many subjects. Also, is there a holocaust museum in your area? That would possibly be a good resource for materials, since it wasn't only Jewish people who were imprisoned. Gays, Jehovah's Witnesses and others were also in the prison camps.

 

[larkfeather1015]

First of all, I totally agree with Chuck S, local LGBTQ+ organizations are an excellent way to start. Keep an eye out for youth groups or PFLAG chapters if you're working with high school students, as these types are better suited for working with teenagers.
Secondly, I just read an excellent journal paper on "sexuality education" on LGBTQ+ topics for grade school students for one of my classes (I'm currently an undergrad student in the social sciences). Though it's more geared towards sex ed curriculums, it has a wonderful section on teaching students to be open and accepting of LGBTQ+ identities. Unfortunately, I can't link the paper since I'm new to the forum, but it's called "Build a Curriculum that Includes Everyone" by Robert McGarry. If you copy-paste the bolded text into Google, it's the first thing that comes up.
Thirdly, it's pretty easy to find LGBTQ+ people in history, if that's what you're looking for. Literally just googling "[historical event/period] gay" or "[historical event/period] transgender" will get you tons of information on what the LGBTQ+ community was up to during that time. I should know—I went looking for this stuff throughout high school on my own, since no-one was teaching it to me. If this method seems daunting, check out the National Park Services' LGBTQ Heritage Theme Study, which is an invaluable resource for LGBTQ+ history in the US. Again, I can't link it, but you can copy-paste the bolded text into Google to get it.
Finally, as an gay student myself, I can tell you, building a safe, accepting environment goes a long way. You could start a "safe space" program (stickers or posters on class doors signaling teachers that LGBTQ+ students can confide in), start a gay-straight alliance club, or even just call out homophobic and transphobic language, like the use of slurs or "that's so gay" among students. Even if they were "just joking," it can be terrifying for a closeted student to hear that sort of language from their classmates.
I wish you the best of luck with your curriculum development! It sounds like you're a really dedicated educator, and the work you're doing will be an incredible service to your students.