Back to: LGBTQ+ HRE Materials
The University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center has developed a series of materials for use in the classroom that are designed to teach students about the importance of LGBTQ+ rights. Here are some for your information and consideration:
Are Gay Rights Special? – In this activity, students collect newspaper articles about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. These rights may be denied, demanded, or respected. After discussing the articles, students catalog the variety of rights and compare this list with the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Access at http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/TB3/act2/act2f.html
What If Things Were Different – In this activity, students consider how high school age youth are making a difference for the rights of sexual minorities in school. They also consider how change has a ripple effect to understand how their actions have significance beyond their immediate effect. Access at ttp://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/TB3/act3/act3f.htm
Is It A Crime To Be Gay? – In this activity, students stage a parliamentary committee hearing in the newly independent Eastern European country of Boldovistan. Role playing characters with differing attitudes towards homosexuality, students testify on legislation to abolish laws making consensual homosexual relations between adults a crime. In the process, they compare the differing points of view, attempt to reach a decision on whether government should regulate persons’ private lives, and analyze the consequences of different decisions. Access at http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/TB3/act4/act4f.html
What Must Be Done To Achieve Equality? – By evaluating various statements about what must be done to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons, students consider the responsibility they have to end discrimination. Students also explore the relative importance of changing legislation, changing attitudes, and taking action in order to achieve equality. Access at: http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/TB3/act5/act5f.html
Youth Dealing with Homophobia – In this activity, students listen to the concerns of real teenagers dealing with homophobia or read testimonials from gay and straight students and teachers about dealing with homophobia. All of the stories illustrate how homophobia contributes to a climate of hostility, making adolescence especially hard to navigate. The activity concludes with a discussion of what can be done to make schools less hostile to gay and lesbian youth. Access at http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/TB3/act7/act7f.html