| By Gale Staff |
Teach history through the eyes of major LGBTQ contributors. Stories from their past struggles and triumphs are a lesson in the strength and resilience needed to overcome the challenges that come with being different. Beyond Pride Month, these stories can be shared between students, educators, and families throughout the year.
Whether you’re looking for media-rich content to engage younger learners or searching for content with greater depth, Gale’s educational resources are your go-to guide for research. Discover journal articles, newspapers, videos, photographs, eBooks, and more from trusted sources.
A great way to start an LGBTQ history project is with the Gale eBook title, The History of LGBTQ + Rights Movement: The Gay Liberation Movement Before and After Stonewall. This eBook explains the emergence of the modern gay liberation movement, from its early years prior to the Stonewall riots of 1969 and its continuation into the 1970s.
Meet the People Who Made History
LGBTQ history is filled with innovators, activists, educators, leaders, and change-makers. Gale In Context: Biography introduces elementary, middle, and high school students to the people who made a difference and are still making a difference today. Students can use the filtering feature to find biographies, such as the profile of James Baldwin, an African American pioneer, or Ellen DeGeneres, a comedian and activist.
For academic students, you can share information about the game-changing events in the fight for LGBTQ rights and protections. In LGBTQ history, it was Henry Gerber who in 1924 formed the first gay rights organization in Chicago—the Society for Human Rights. Only one year later, it was disbanded by the police. Today, however, it is registered as a national historic landmark.
Other winning moments in LGBTQ history include the reversal that defined being gay as a mental disorder by the American Psychological Association as well as the reversal of an order imposed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower that banned gay people from working federal jobs. Facts like these help students segue into overlapping topics, like presidents and mental health, which can be researched thoroughly within the Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
The political ups and downs in LGBTQ history are more examples of how students can tie in new subjects to their existing work, especially when researching and writing essays. A broad topic like LGBTQ history can be an offshoot to political activists, the judicial system, gay pride marches, don’t ask and don’t tell military policies, HIV/AIDS activism, gay marriage, hate crimes, and gender studies.
LGBTQ Influencers in Literature
Gale Literature Resource Center includes information and works of authors within the LGBTQ community. College students can search by LGBTQ+ on the person search page or use the topic finder feature, which pairs common themes and introduces relevant information that students may not have thought of on their own. For example, if a college student researches LGBTQ history on Topic Finder, the Stonewall Riots in 1969 will appear as another area to explore.
Gale Literature Criticism has LGBTQ topic pages connecting students with writers from all over the world. The featured works include writings by philosophers, activists, politicians, celebrities, and influencers. Oscar Wilde, for example, is noted as an LBGTQ influencer through his works.
LGBTQ Learning for Educators
School and public librarians strive to give students a safe, welcoming space for everyone. Gale’s white paper, Supporting the LGBTQ Community in the Library and Beyond, teaches librarians how to acquire resources to create the best LGBTQ service programs.
For students who may be struggling with their gender or sexual identity, you can offer support in a variety of ways. For example, you can direct them to eBooks like The LGBTQ+ Guide to Beating Bullying: Your Rights as an LGBTQ+ Teen and LGBTQ Issues: Being LGBTQ.
How You Can Make History in the Classroom
Teachers and librarians can use Gale’s digital content to further student learning by getting them involved in current events. Gale provides content-specific training materials that offer guidelines for implementing themes in the classroom or community.
In June, for LGBTQ PRIDE month, you can enhance the experience of teachers and students with Gale In Context: High School. Here you’ll find the LGBTQ+ Pride Month Portal, which will lead you to all things PRIDE, including national archives, magazines, audio files, videos, and websites to additional resources.
Integrate Winning Materials
The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History can be integrated with other academic platforms like Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle. Students benefit from the most up-to-date information collection on historical and contemporary LGBTQ issues. Students can also access award-winning periodicals, books, newspapers, videos, and more.
Start your LGBTQ research with Gale resources today. Not a Gale subscriber? Contact your representative today!