Classrooms need to be safe and welcoming spaces for all children, including children and teens who identify as LGBTQ+. And teachers need to have all the tools to nurture and support all learners and build a classroom community that is inclusive and inviting. To that end, we have pulled together resources to educate ourselves, our classrooms, and our school communities to better support our LGBTQ+ students and colleagues.

LGBTQ+ History

• The Facing History & Ourselves website offers "ideas and guidance on how to incorporate LGBTQ+ voices and history into your teaching.

• Powered by Rainbows has myriad videos and podcasts on LBGTQ+ resources, history, current events, and more. They offer a special group of resources for educators, like this video about How to Make Your School LGBTQ Inclusive. It includes a number of suggestions for educators who are new to this work or consider themselves more experienced.

• LGBTQ History.org has created a LGBTQ Rights Timeline in American History that spans from Colonial Life and Founding of the Nation (1607-1770) to The 21st Century Transformation (2000-Present). The website also offers lesson plans, and video and multimedia resources.

• The Making Gay History podcast has twelve seasons (and counting!) that bring the voices of LBGTQ+ history to life through exploratory conversations with those who lived through it.

Resources & Book Lists

• The ABCs of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ via The New York Times

• Defining LGBTQ Words for Elementary School Students via The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Welcoming Schools Organization

• Glossary of terms that relate to the LGBTQ community via the Trevor Project

• A Guide To Gender Identity Terms via National Public Radio

• LGBTQ+ Book List via Teaching for Change's Social Justice Books Organization 

• The Human Rights Campaign Foundation Welcoming Schools Recommended Books Lists via The Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Welcoming Schools Organization

• The Trevor Project has developed The Coming Out Handbook to "explore what coming out means to you with tools and guiding questions."

• EDTalks: Creating Gender Inclusive Schools by Jason Bucklin

• LGBTQ Program Coordinator with Minneapolis Public Schools

Bring The Work Into Our Classrooms

Once you have a good grasp on some basic concepts of this work, it's time to start thinking about how to take what you've learned into the classroom. 

• The National Education Association has built a webpage with information for how to go about Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth. The webpage includes information on how to build safe, affirming, and inclusive schools. Also included is a link to their resource toolkit.

• Gender-Diverse & Transgender Children Definitions + Additional Information & Resources via The American Academy of Pediatrics' Health Children Organization

• The Safe Space Kit: Guide to Being an Ally to LGBT Students via GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network)

• U.S. Department of Education provides a page on Supporting Transgender Youth in School 

• Educator Resources (Lesson Plans, Inclusive Curriculum, etc.) via GLSEN

• Gender-Affirming Care: What It is and Why It's Necessary via Learning for Justice

• Incorporation of LGBTQ+ Studies in K-12 Education via the American Federation of Teachers

Extend Our Learning

As teachers, caregivers, and community members we must seek out opportunities for professional development and self-work. 

• Affirming Our LGBTQ+ Educators Is Essential to Fighting Prejudice via Education Post, a network of education activists demanding a better education and a brighter future for every child.

• Bystander Intervention to Stop LGBTQ+ Harassment and De-escalation Training Workshop by Right to Be

• LGBTQ Inclusive School: Action Planning via GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) 

• LGBTQ+ Student Experiences at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Dr. Kevin M. Banks invites readers to "Dig into the experiences of LGBTQ+ students, and learn how to support inclusive practices at HBCUs." via Best Colleges. 

• The Be a Better Ally podcast aims to “engage educators everywhere with thinking that builds more LGBTQ+ inclusive schools."

This post was originally published on June 8, 2022 and continues to be updated.
Check back for updates and share with fellow educators. 

Last updated February 9, 2024.