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A Note for Teachers

  • Facing History and Ourselves is an educational charity providing teaching resources to help young people develop as empathetic, critical thinkers, who understand the role they can play in shaping society for the better. We believe that civic agency is developed through intellectual rigour, emotional engagement and ethical reflection. Learn more about us on our website.

  • This PowerPoint presentation has been created to be used in a KS3-4 or S1-4 assembly on LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

  • While you may need to modify this presentation to meet the needs of your students, please note that Facing History and Ourselves does not endorse your changes that alter the presentation's content or original layout.

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LGBTQ+ Pride Month�Assembly

Facing History UK Assemblies

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Essential Question

What is LGBTQ+ Pride Month and why does it matter?

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LGBTQ+ Pride Month

What is LGBTQ+ Pride Month and why does it matter?

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What is Pride Month?

  • Pride Month takes place in June every year. It is a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities all around the world.
  • LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Sometimes a Q and/or + are added. Q stands for queer and + is an inclusive symbol to mean 'and others' to include people of all identities.
  • As well as an opportunity to raise awareness of the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, Pride is also a celebration of diversity.

Source: BBC Newsround

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What is Pride Month?

Watch the CBBC Newsround video What is Pride and why do people celebrate it?

As you watch the video consider the following questions:

  1. Why is Pride Month celebrated?
  2. Why does Pride take place in June?
  3. How do people celebrate Pride?

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The History of Pride: Key Information

  • In the 1960s, being gay was classified as a mental illness.
  • In the UK, homosexuality was illegal until 1967.
  • In 2014, same sex marriage became legal.
  • In some countries today, homosexuality is still illegal.

Despite many steps forward, people from the LGBTQ+ community still face rising intolerance and discrimination.

Is there anything surprising or troubling about these facts to you?

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LGBTQ+ Pride: The Stonewall Riots

The Stonewall riots took place in New York in 1969. This was a time when members of the LGBTQ+ community faced regular discrimination.

The riots began after police raided the bar The Stonewall Inn, which was frequented by the LGBTQ+ community, and arrested many people.

In response to the police harassment, neighbours, onlookers and members of the LGBTQ+ community began to riot. The riots lasted six days and thousands of people participated.

They are considered a landmark event and were the beginning of Pride.

Source: History.com

How do you think it would have felt to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community in New York in the 1960s?

Why is it important to understand the roots of Pride?

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LGBTQ+ Pride: The Rainbow Flag

Gilbert Baker was an American artist and gay rights activist who designed the LGBTQ+ flag. Initially, it had eight stripes instead of the six normally seen now.

It was first created in 1978 and has since become associated with LGBTQ+ rights all over the world.

Although it would have made him a lot of money, Gilbert refused to trademark it, saying it was a symbol for everyone.

Why do you think Gilbert wanted the flag to be a symbol for everyone? How is that evident in its design?

How does the flag represent the values and aims of Pride?

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LGBTQ+ Pride: How do People Celebrate?

  • Pride events will happen across the globe celebrating LGBTQ+ communities.
  • Commonly there are marches and concerts across cities and towns.
  • The celebrations are vibrant, colourful and uplifting. They focus on celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, as well as recognising the struggles still faced today by these communities.
  • Some of the biggest Pride marches happen in New York City (US) and Sao Paulo (Brazil), with crowds of up to 4 million people.

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Pride: LGBTQ+ Icons

Alan Turing was a mathematician who cracked the Enigma code, which helped defeat the Nazis during WWII.

In 1952, he was arrested for being homosexual as it was illegal in the UK.

In 2017 he was pardoned by the government and his name now appears on the £50 note.

Source: BBC

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Pride: LGBTQ+ icons

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, better known as Lady Phyll, is a British LGBTQ+ rights and anti-racism campaigner.

She is the founder of UK Black Pride, an event that is now attended by up to 8,000 people every year.

She is also the co-founder of Kaleidoscope, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in countries where they are discriminated against across the world.

Source: BBC

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LGBTQ+ Pride

A lot of people were very repressed, they were conflicted internally, and didn't know how to come out and be proud. That's how the movement was most useful, because they thought, 'Maybe I should be proud.’

Activist L. Craig Schoonmaker

How does this sum up the power of Pride?

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Exit Ticket

Take a moment to think about:

  1. What are two new things you have learned about Pride Month today?
  2. How can celebrating and recognising achievements of LGBQT+ communities and their members help to combat prejudice and discrimination?
  3. Why is Pride Month important?

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