Today, children hear about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at younger ages than in years past. LGBT people are mentioned more frequently in the newspapers, on the radio and on TV. Some children have parents or other family members who are LGBT. Children also hear the word “gay” used as a slur.
Educators need to be prepared to respond to questions from students. If students are met with silence when they ask questions, they will assume they have said something wrong. The resources below will help prepare you to answer students’ questions on these topics in a clear, age-appropriate way.
Skills Building Exercise for Educators: Responding to Questions about LGBT Topics [PDF]
Most of the things we teach about are topics that we have had practice talking about in school. However, most of us did not grow up talking about LGBT topics and did not discuss them as part of our professional training as educators. This activity gives educators the opportunity to practice talking about LGBT topics- What Do You Know? Six to twelve year-olds talk about gays and lesbians
Check out this film. Watch it with colleagues. See how children themselves answer questions. See what they have heard about gays and lesbians. Hear what they want from the adults in their school to help stop hurtful teasing and gay putdowns. Use the film as a starting point to discuss how to answer students’ questions. - Questions Students Ask and Possible Responses about LGBT People [PDF]Review some of the most frequently asked questions about LGBT people and practice giving possible responses to these questions.
- What Does Gay Mean?
Feeling comfortable answering this question may help you be more comfortable stopping a
student from saying, “That’s gay!” There is no one correct answer. Practice what you could say.
Keep it simple.
- Can Two Women or Two Men Get Married? Responding to Students’ Questions [PDF]
Marriage equality or marriage between two people of the same sex is in the news a lot these days – and students are hearing about it. Learn to answer questions on this topic.
