Written by Hannah Wilson
Founder of Diverse Educators
Different groups of people have been impacted in different ways through Covid-19 and lockdown. There are growing concerns about the mental health wellbeing of our LGBTQI+ young people who may not be a safe space to show up as their authentic selves.
Here are 10 things you can do as a teacher, a school leader or as a school to get involved, from resources to events, from training to awards to help to raise awareness and increase understanding:
1. Schools’ Out have a directory of fantastic free resources for schools here:
https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/resources/ and you can download the free posters here: https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/resources/lgbt-history-month/
2. The Proud Trust have a free downloadable resource pack for schools:
https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/LGBT-History-Month-Pack-2021.pdf
3. Check out all of the organisations listed on the Diverse Educators’ website under the Protected Characteristic of Sexual Orientation:
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/sexual-orientation/
4. Diverse Educators partner with the Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett, home to the LGBTQ+ Centre for Inclusion in Education, find out more about their research and their Schools’ Award:
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/centre-for-lgbtq-inclusion/
5. Read and share a #DiverseEd blog about the lived experience of a LGBT teacher, Jared Cawley, and understand how to support the wellbeing of our colleagues:
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/my-wellbeing-as-a-lgbt-teacher/
6. Dual Frequency have created an interactive digital calendar for all things Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Download and start using your copy here:
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/dual-frequency/
7. Diversity Role Models have released season one of Role Model Stories that includes six episodes, with stories from Vicky Jane, Simeon, Mon, Barry, Richy and Simon, packed with inspiring personal stories covering a range of topics from history, intersectionality, faith and LGBT+ inclusion, gender identity, different families and more. Each video comes with a downloadable teacher resource.
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/diversity-role-models/
8. Diversity Role Models have also recently published a report: ‘Pathways to LGBT+ Inclusion: Report’ revealed only 20% of secondary students learnt about LGBT+ identities and HBT bullying at school, while only 27% of secondary students said their school would be safe for a fellow student to come out as LGBT+.
9. #LGBTed have recently published a book: Big Gay Adventures in Education and they host a weekly twitter chat:
https://www.diverseeducators.co.uk/lgbted/
10. Find out how your LGBTQI+ staff feel about your workplace culture with Edurio’s free EDI survey:
https://home.edurio.com/edi-review
Reflections:
- If we believe in a whole education to develop the whole child, how are we enabling our staff to bring their whole self to school too?
- How can we be inclusive allies to support our pupils and students, staff and governors, parents and carers, in feeling physically and psychologically safe in our schools?
As a tangible action for change we recommend that you check out the Queer Knowledge Organiser created by David Lowbridge-Ellis in our Cross-Curricular resources drive and review your provision.