Introduction

Background information and didactical perspective

The module’s intent is to raise pupils’ awareness of the impact of constructed societal norms by telling them the stories of young people subject to discrimination as LGBTQI+ people. Its overarching objective is their empowerment to find and advocate for their own standpoints.

Placing an emphasis on biographical learning, the module’s materials centre specific, everyday depictions of situations in which discrimination takes place. Pupils will explore the situation for LGBTQI+ people in their own countries and identify and discuss potential routes to action.

Teachers delivering the module should be aware that there are likely to be people in the group or class who identify as LGBTQI+ and should conduct the lessons with the appropriate sensitivity. They may wish to display a poster in their classroom containing details of local or national support and advisory services.

Teachers in whose schools hate incidents have occurred may find helpful information in the UN factsheet downloadable from www.unfe.org.

Learning outcomes

Competencies
Skills in forming judgements, taking action; the genesis of societal norms; methodological and analytical skills; social skills; values education; multiperspectivity; skills in acting independently and successfully within a heterogeneous group; identity and lifestyle choices in a changing, modern society; negotiating the competing demands of self-fulfilment and societal expectations within personal identity and lifestyle choices; value systems and orientations with regard to societal norms; developing strategies for action; acknowledging and advocating for human rights and the principles of liberty and equality; media literacy skills
Topics / National curriculum
People and society/community: respect for difference and diversity; rejection of societal attitudes and actions that denigrate others; encouragement to stand up for what one believes in; recognising the subjectivity of emotions and points of view
  • Play
Suitable age 7-9, 12-15
Time frame 4 x 45 min.
Required materials tape; posters (A3 size); projector; smartboard;
Description The module revolves around typical gender role expectations, and experiences of homophobia and transphobia in day-to-day life. Its intent is to help pupils engage with and reflect on constructed norms around gender and sexuality and to point them to possibilities for action if they experience or witness discrimination.
Subjects / Topics Political/social studies Ethics/values education Philosophy Psychology

Lesson plan

Abbreviations:

  • A = Activity
  • D = Discussion
  • GW = Group work
  • IW = Individual work
  • HW = Homework
  • PW = Partnerwork
  • PTS = Previous Teacher’s Study
  • PO = Pupils opinions
  • PP = Pupil’s presentations
  • TP = Teacher’s presentation

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Phase Content Media, Material

Introduction
(15 min.)

  • GW
  • PO
Preparation
  • The teacher has made a sufficient number of copies of M1.
  • Materials for displaying the posters are available.
  • The teacher has set up a projector for a video (M2).
Execution
  • Step 1 The teacher divides the pupils into, or asks them to form, small groups and provides each group with an A3 copy of the poster template (M1).
  • Step 2 Each pupil in the group begins with one of the four questions on the poster, considering it and noting down their thoughts in the poster’s appropriate quadrant, leaving enough space for others to do the same in the course of the exercise.
  • Step 3 The teacher allows a short period of time for this and then tells the group it’s time to move on; the pupils turn the poster 90° and each pupil in the group starts on the next question, adding their thoughts to those written down by the previous pupil.
  • Step 4 This is repeated until all pupils in a group have noted down their thoughts on all the questions.
M1
Poster template What is ‘normal’ anyway?

Presentation; Reinforcement of learnings
(15 min.)

  • GW
  • PP
  • Step 1 The groups read all their comments together and explain them to the others in the group if necessary.
  • Step 2 In each quadrant, they choose and highlight a thought or view that they think is particularly important.
  • Step 3 Each group chooses one or two of its members to read out and explain the highlighted ideas to the others.
  • Step 4 The whole class now discusses the ideas presented by each group, with the teacher facilitating the discussion.
  • Step 5 At the end of this phase, the posters are displayed in the room.

Note

  • At the end of the lesson, the teacher should note down the working definition of ‘(societal) norm’ developed during the lesson with the pupils.
M1
Poster template What is ‘normal’ anyway?

Extension
(8 min.)

  • PO
  • PW
  • Step 1 The teacher shows the video of the song ‘The Light’ (M2).
  • Step 2 In an initial whole-class discussion, the pupils give their first impressions of the video.
  • Step 3 They then work in pairs to come up with a suitable title for the video.
M2
Video ‘The Light’

Presentation; Reinforcement of learnings
(7 min.)

  • PP
  • D
  • Step 1 Each pair tells the others their ideas for a title; the whole class discusses the ideas, with the teacher facilitating.

Note

  • The teacher should explain that the video’s principal focus is critical reflection on and questioning of gender roles and societal expectations of what being a ‘normal’ boy involves; the initial exercise on the definition of ‘normal’ should reinforce this point. Pupils should be made aware that enjoying wearing dresses as a boy doesn’t necessarily equate to being, or identifying as, gay or trans. Teachers may wish to discuss the ‘Gender Unicorn’ with pupils, and should help pupils with any questions they have about terminology in this context.
Phase Content Media, Material

Initial and second phases of lesson
(10 min.)

  • A
Preparation
  • The teacher has made sufficient numbers of copies of M6 (for students working on their own), M7 (for group work), M8 (for students working on their own, as required), M9-M13 (one per pupil), and M14 (group work).
  • Prepare a computer with internet access and projector for videos
Execution
  • Step 1

    Each pupil receives one of the worksheets with observation tasks for the video ‘The Light’ (M3-M6) and reads through the tasks quietly to themselves.

    Note

    • As all pupils will have the same amount of time to complete the tasks, the teacher should try and give the more substantial tasks (child, father) to more able pupils.

  • Step 2 The teacher explains that she or he is now going to show the video ‘The Light’ a second time and asks the pupils to make brief notes on the worksheet about the character(s) assigned to them.
  • Step 3 If needed, the teacher can pause the video at certain points or show it again in full.
M2
Video ‘The Light’
M3
Worksheet Observations on ‘The Light’ (child)
M4
Worksheet Observations on ‘The Light’ (mother)
M5
Worksheet Observations on ‘The Light’ (father)
M6
Worksheet Observations on ‘The Light’ (other characters)

Presentation; Reinforcement of learnings
(10 min.)

  • PP
  • D
  • Step 1 In the course of a whole-class discussion facilitated by the teacher, pupils share and talk about their observations.
  • Step 2 Discussion starters:
    • What role do ideas of ‘the norm’ play in the video? What do these ideas consist of? What impact do they have on the various characters in the video?
    • How do the characters in the video handle expectations around ‘normal’ ways of being a boy or girl, and what attitudes do they show?
    • How and why do these attitudes change in the course of the story?
M2
Video ‘The Light’

Transition to next phase of lesson
(5 min.)

  • TP
  • Step 1 The teacher now shows the UN video ‘The Riddle’ (M7), whose purpose is to raise awareness of a range of forms of discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in the UN’s member states.
  • Step 2 If needed, the teacher can hand out copies of the video’s transcript (M8).
M7
Video The Riddle
M8
Transcript The Riddle

Third phase of lesson
(20 min.)

  • GW
  • Step 1 The teacher explains that the next phase of the lesson will focus on discrimination at various levels, using accounts of real-life events. She or he hands out M9-M13, ensuring that roughly equal numbers of pupils are working on each source. All pupils additionally receive a worksheet (M14), which can also be used in poster format.
  • Step 2 The teacher asks the pupils to read through the source given to them quietly to themselves, paying particular attention to the accounts the sources give of how people responded to the discriminatory acts. The teacher may assign each pupil looking at a particular story one of the sources listed; that pupil reads the source and notes down what was done against the discrimination. They should keep these notes, as they will need them later.
M9
Informational text Constance’s story
M10
Informational text ‘It wasn’t an attack on me, it was an attack on the bar’
M11
Newspaper article Gay men unable to donate blood plasma
M12
Newspaper article Discrimination at a viennese coffee house
M13
Newspaper article American singer pays tribute to lesbian couple attacked on London bus
M14
Worksheet Discrimination
Phase Content Media, Material

Continuation of third phase from previous lesson
(10 min.)

  • GW
Preparation
  • The teacher has made a sufficient number of copies of M15.
  • Facilities for internet searches are available (alternatively, the teacher can print out copies of the country-specific information from the website in M15).
Execution
  • Step 1 The pupils return to their groups from lesson 2 and continue their work on the sources they have been given.
  • Step 2 In their groups, they discuss the questions on the worksheet/poster (M14) and note down their answers in the appropriate fields.
M9
Informational text Constance’s story
M10
Informational text ‘It wasn’t an attack on me, it was an attack on the bar’
M11
Newspaper article Gay men unable to donate blood plasma
M12
Newspaper article Discrimination at a viennese coffee house
M13
Newspaper article American singer pays tribute to lesbian couple attacked on London bus
M14
Worksheet Discrimination

Presentation; Reinforcement of learnings
(20 min.)

  • PP
  • D
  • PO
  • Step 1 One group tells the class what they have noted down, and the other groups add their own thoughts and ideas.
  • Step 2 With the teacher facilitating, the pupils ask questions about the ideas on the worksheets/posters and give their own views.
  • Step 3 The teacher may wish to bring the following aspects into the discussion:
    • How would you describe the discrimination that took place in the accounts given in the sources?
    • What do those carrying out the discrimination perceive as being outside the ‘norm’?
    • What forms do the discriminatory acts and attacks described in the sources take?
    • Have you experienced or witnessed similar incidents?
  • Step 4

    The teacher categorises the instances of discrimination and violence discussed (physical, verbal, systemic, etc.)

    Note

    • Options for action in response to discrimination will be the subject of the module’s closing lesson.

    Important

    • The teacher should ensure that pupils who share their own experience of discrimination with the class are not put in the position of having to justify themselves.
    • Discrimination can have a profound impact on the individual subject to it. It’s important to avoid creating a hierarchy of experiences of discrimination; as multi-faceted as these experiences are, it would be unwise and inappropriate for a teacher to deny a pupil’s experience or invalidate her or his feelings about it.

  • Step 5 After this, pupils look back at the posters they made in lesson 1 around the concept of ‘normal’ (M1) and discuss any changes the thoughts and ideas noted on the posters have undergone in the course of the lessons since then.

Research session
(15 min.)

  • GW
  • Step 1 The teacher reminds students that the materials they have worked on in the course of the last two lessons report incidents that took place in England, Slovenia, Austria and the US, and raises the question of LGBTQI+ rights in other countries.
  • Step 2 The teacher should emphasise at this point that LGBTQI+ rights are not ‘special’ rights of some kind, but rather human rights.
  • Step 3 Pupils now spend time finding out about the situation in their country. The teacher points them to the ‘Rainbow Map’ (M15) as a source of information.

Note

  • Students can click on the relevant country on the ‘Rainbow Map’ to download a ’chapter’ providing concise and significant information on the country in question.
M15
Worksheet Rainbow map
Phase Content Media, Material

Completing research
(10 min.)

  • GW
Preparation
  • A blackboard or whiteboard is available for writing up points arising from the discussion.
Execution
  • Pupils complete the research work commenced in the previous lesson.

Presentation; Reinforcement of learnings
(15 min.)

  • PP
  • D
  • PO
  • Step 1 One of the groups reports back to the class on key facts regarding the situation of LGBTQI+ rights, with the other groups adding further points as required.
  • Step 2 The teacher facilitates the discussion.

Ideas and points to include:

  • What rights do people who do not identify as ‘straight’ have and need?
  • Which rights have LGBTQI+ people yet to attain in your country, in terms of equality and freedom from discrimination?
  • Is there anything else you found out that you would like to bring to the class’ attention?

Discussion; Wrapping-up of topic
(20 min.)

  • TP
  • D
  • PO
  • Step 1 The teacher explains that the final part of the lesson will revolve around calls to and options for action against discrimination experienced by LGBTQI+ people.
  • Step 2 The materials covered in the module so far can serve as a partial basis for the discussion, alongside the ‘action points’1 recommended by the UN, which the teacher reads out at this stage:
    • Speak out when you see any form of discrimination against LGBT people.
    • If you, your friends or family members believe you are the victim of discrimination on [the] grounds of sexuality or gender identity, [tell a teacher or another adult you trust, or alternatively, if you don’t feel anyone you know can help you, you can send an email to] the UN (urgent-action@ohchr.org).
    • Don’t assume that everyone else is heterosexual: ask if someone has a partner rather than assuming they have a wife, if a man, or a husband, if a woman.
    • Don’t assume all trans and intersex people are lesbian or gay – they may be heterosexual or bisexual.
    • As well as doing these things, you should listen to LGBTQI+ people, educate yourself about their lives and needs, and make sure your language is respectful, including using appropriate pronouns, terms and forms of address.
  • Step 3 The pupils discuss the action points and supplement them with their own ideas on how to actively combat discrimination.
  • Step 4 The teacher writes up a selection of ideas on the board.
  • Step 5 The Free & Equal campaign website contains numerous additional materials, videos, GIFs and memes on the issues: www.unfe.org.

1 United Nations Human Rights/Office of the High Commissioner (2015): Equality & Non-Discrimination, p. 3:
https://www.unfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Equality-And-Non-Discrimination-English.pdf
United Nations Human Rights/Office of the High Commissioner (2015): Bullying and Violence in Schools, p. 3:
https://www.unfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Bullying-and-Violence-in-School.pdf