LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in the Classroom
Inclusivity in education means creating an atmosphere where all students have the opportunity to participate and learn. Inclusivity is essential in education because every student deserves to experience and learn in an atmosphere of respect, where they can develop and maintain friendships with other students and teachers in their schools and communities. Inclusivity in education proposes that all children have a right to the same education. It’s not something that can or should be earned, and it’s not something that a child must prepare and get ready for. It is an inherent right.
Here are some social emotional learning opportunities from GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) that promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the classroom.
Early Elementary: Ensure that family studies show examples and use language that includes a variety
of family structures including LGBTQ-headed families. Address identity and reflections around gender
stereotypes using Ready, Set, Respect!, inclusive read-alouds, and GLSEN’s lesson I Am Me: Talking About
Identity.
Upper Elementary: GLSEN’s Identity Flowers lesson encourages students to explore their own identities
and personal experiences with race, culture, ability, family structure, religion or spirituality, and gender
identity and expression. Find more lessons for elementary students in our No Name-Calling Week program
at www.glsen.org/nncw.
Middle School: GLSEN’s Challenging Assumptions lesson provides students an opportunity to
experience what it’s like to be labeled in a negative way, and as a result, develop empathy for those who
others label, even though those labels don’t fit.
High School: GLSEN’s Learning Empowerment and Self-Identification encourages students to explore
how self-identification can be empowering, and have discussions about what it means to be proud of the
labels and identities that we all hold. They will also explore the damage that can be done when someone
applies labels to another person without that person’s permission (consent).
Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services