LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, which is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year. In June of 1969, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBTQ Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQ Americans. Today, LGBTQ Pride Month celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, attracting millions of participants around the world.
In schools and classrooms, LGBTQ Pride Month is an excellent time to talk with students about LGBTQ people and their struggles to achieve equal rights and treatment in all aspects of their lives. It is an opportunity to discover important LGBTQ people in history, read literature that features LGBT people, analyze homophobia/heterosexism and explore its causes and solutions. As with other similarly themed months, it is important not to isolate the exploration of LGBTQ people and culture into one month during the year. LGBTQ history is American history and should be integrated into the curriculum throughout the school year.
Below is a list of relevant K-12 curriculum, children’s books and other resources to bring LGBTQ Pride Month to your classrooms:
Lesson Plans
- What Is Marriage Equality? (Grades 4-8)
- Boy Scouts of America Lifts Ban on Gay Leaders (Grades 6-8)
- Mathew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Grades 6-12)
- Understanding Homophobia/Heterosexism and How To Be An Ally (Grades 7-12)
- The Stonewall Uprising (Grades 9-12)
- Identity and Diversity in My Generation (Grades 9-12)
- Wedding Cake, Same-Sex Marriage and Discrimination (Grades 9-12)
- Unheard Voices: Stories of LGBT History (Grades 9-12)
- Transgender Identity and Issues (Grades 9-12)
- Analyzing Hate Crimes Statistics (Grades 9-12)
Education Resources
- Discussing Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Identity and Issues: Suggestions and Resources for K-12 Teachers
- How Do We Support and Protect Transgender Youth?
- Let's Get it Right: Using Correct Pronouns and Names
- Safe and Inclusive Schools for All
- Stonewall and LGBTQ Equity
- 'That's So Gay:' Language That Hurts and How to Stop It
- The Most Basic of Rights: Transgender Students are Entitled to Respect and Dignity
- The Time Is Now: Bringing LGBTQ Topics into the Classroom
- We Are Family: Making Classrooms Inclusive for All Families
- Why Pride?
Children's Books
- Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag (Book of the Month, June 2019)
- Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World (Book of the Month, June 2018)
- The Best Man (Book of the Month, June 2017)
- George (Book of the Month, June 2016)
- Gracefully Grayson (Book of the Month, July 2015)
- Stella Brings the Family (Book of the Month, June 2015)
- Jacob's New Dress (Book of the Month, July 2014)
- Books about Kinds of Families
- Books About LGBTQ People and Homophobia/Heterosexism
