Happy LGBT History Month
October is LGBT History Month! While the month has already started, it’s never too late to join in and introduce (or re-introduce) your students (and yourself) to some LGBT icons. As explained on their site, “Each day in October, a new LGBT Icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources.” You can find out more in the 2022 Overview Video. Remember that LGBT History Month is a reminder only - we should be learning about LGBT people every day of the year.
If students ask why LGBT people have a specific history month, just ask the question right back to them: why do YOU think we celebrate a specific history month for LGBT people? You can have them generate a list of names of LGBT people they’ve learned about at school in the past. I had a student ask why there wasn’t a “straight history month” and another student responded, “That’s EVERY month.”
Also, don’t assume students know what LGBT stands for - go ahead and teach into it. If you think your students need more vocabulary instruction, the LGBT Resource Center provides some general definitions. Make sure your students have the language to ask questions and make connections!
Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of class time to spare - just telling students about the month and some of the icons featured is a great start! Introducing each icon could also be part of a sign in or morning routine. The videos for the icon of the day go live each day and are very brief. The site also has biographical information for each icon and links to other resources.