The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network(GLSEN) -- an excellent site with lots of information and resources useful to educators.
GLSEN's 2003 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of LGBT Youth in our Nation's Schools - a full report of this annual study which documents issues many LGBT youth and professionals experience in schools -- also includes information about schools with effective policies and practices regarding issues of sexual orientation and harassment.
GLSEN's 2007 National School Climate Survey -- further national documentation of issues many LGBT youth and professionals experience in schools -- includes recommendations about what should and must be done.
Minnesota School District Agrees to Protect Students from Anti-Gay Bullying in Settlement -- In March 2012, the U.S. Justice Department, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and other groups won a settlement against the Anoka-Hennepin School District in suburban Minneapolis for repeatedly and institutionally failing to protect LGBTQ students there from homophobic harassment and abuse. Among other things, the district agreed to eliminate it's 18-year-old "gag policy" which had kept teachers from addressing issues of sexual orientation and homophobia in the schools.
Dear Colleague Letter Sent by U.S. Dept. of Education and Office of Civil Rights -- In October of 2010, the U.S. Department of Education and Office of Civil Rights sent a letter to all public schools in the country clearly stating that educators may be held liable, under U.S. civil rights law, if they fail to address bullying/harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. The letter said, “The statutes that OCR enforces include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504); and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II). Section 504 and Title II prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. School districts may violate these civil rights statutes and the Department’s implementing regulations when peer harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability is sufficiently serious that it creates a hostile environment and such harassment is encouraged, tolerated, not adequately addressed, or ignored by school employees."
Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History -- a powerful documentary about the experiences of Jamie Nabozny, who experienced vicious homophobic harassment at school that wasn't addressed by his teachers/administrators or school district. He eventually took the district to court and won. You may get a free copy of the video at this website from the producers of the film, The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that does important work against many forms of bias, discrimination, and hate crimes.
Reteaching Gender and Sexuality -- a good short video that was created "to contribute additional queer/trans youth voices to the national conversations about queer/trans youth lives. Reteaching Gender & Sexuality intends to steer the conversation beyond the symptom of bullying, to consider systemic issues and deeper beliefs about gender and sexuality that impact queer youth."
Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation's Schools -- a 2009 report that documents and details the difficulties transgender youth experience in many U.S. schools -- this is a serious issue that is only beginning to receive the attention it deserves and requires.
GLSEN Resources for Educators -- lesson plans, curricular tools, information on teacher training programs and more.
A Diversity Documentary: How to Cover LGBT Issues in the Classroom -- an article about two documentaries geared towards educators.
They Don't Even Know Me: Understanding Anti-Gay Harassment and Violence in School -- a powerful report about the physical and emotional abuse associated with anti-gay violence in schools.
About "GLBTQ" and GLBTQ Youth -- an excellent collection of links and information.
Coming Out in Middle School -- a 2009 NYTimes article about the fact that some students are publicly identifying as LGBT earlier now than previously and what some educators are doing to support these youth -- includes discussion of the value and challenges of developing Gay Straight Alliances (GSA) at schools and much more.
National Day of Silence -- "The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Each year the event has grown, now with hundreds of thousands of students coming together to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior." This site includes lot of information about relevant current events as well.
Making Sense of the Senseless: The Murder of Lawrence King -- an article by Beth Reis, co-chair of the Safe Schools Coalition, that both answers questions educators may have and offers guidance about how to prevent and respond to anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment.
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) -- a national organization that supports and helps in the development of effective sexuality education programs -- lots of good resources and links.
"8": A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality -- a film of this play about the court case filed by the American Foundation for Equal Rights in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in California. Framed around the trial's historic closing arguments in June 2010, "8" provides a close look at what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial. The entire film of the play may be watched here -- on YouTube.
Gender and Schooling -- an article discussing the issues of school safety and sexuality, from the perspective of a former teacher who is appalled by the death of an openly gay student.
The Safe Schools Coalition -- The Safe Schools Coalition offers resources as a starting point for educators, parents/guardians and youth -- a public-private partnership in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Website of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays(PFLAG) -- important information and resources, some specific to schools and educators (e.g., see their Safe Schools Resources).
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- an organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
The Advocate -- a national gay and lesbian newsmagazine -- a good source of news and perspective.
When Girls Will Be Boys -- an article from the NYTimes (March 16, 2008) about the experiences of some transgender males who started college as women, in women's colleges -- includes a good discussion of some gender, sexuality, and transgender issues.
Out!Proud -- Out!Proud, The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth, addresses the needs of these young men and women by providing advocacy, information, resources, and support.
This Way Out -- an international gay and lesbian radio magazine - reports important news and other information not widely disseminated in the mainstream media.
Reducing Gender Stereotyping and Homophobia in Sports -- a lesson plan that "asks students to identify and discuss homophobia and gender stereotyping in athletics, and to think about how to combat these attitudes and behaviors at their own schools."
The Stonewall Riots -- information about this 1969 NYC event that has come to be seen as a critical turning point in the struggle for the human and civil rights of LGBT people.
Stonewall Riots -- a brief history about this event, often characterized as the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in the U.S. and worldwide.
The Stonewall Riot and It's Aftermath -- original source materials for study of the Stonewall Riots and news coverage at the time.
Stonewall and Beyond: Lesbian and Gay Culture -- Displays presented as part of an exhibit at the Columbia University Libraries.
A Walk on the Wild Side of Stonewall -- a very good article from 1987 that presents a detailed personal reflection on and history of the Stonewall Riots.
Women's E-News: Gay Teens Ignored by High School Sex Ed Class -- a 2002 article that discusses the difficult task of incorporating homosexual education into class curriculum.
American Bar Association: Where are the Civil Rights for Gay and Lesbian Teachers? -- analyzes the legal rights of gay and lesbian teachers.
The Age: Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- a compelling story of a lesbian student teacher in Australia.
Resources for High School Teachers & Curriculum Specialists -- good classroom resources (books, curricula, videos, web sites and music) for teaching about LGBT issues/topics -- lots of links and materials.
As California mandate looms, some LGBT curriculum already in place -- This article is about The California Fair Education Act. This is the first law mandating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender curriculum in schools across California.
East High gay straight alliance v. board of education of Salt Lake City school -- A case in which the right to form a gay straight alliance in a Utah high school was challenged by the school board. The case went to Federal court where the school board was ruled to be violating the First Amendment.
Gay-Straight Alliance Network -- the national GSA network provides students and teachers with upcoming events, ideas, and tips about running a GSA. It also offers advice on how to start a GSA at your school and recent news events revolving around GSAs and LGBTQ issues.
Schools Out -- a society that works towards equality for LGBTQ students in education. The society provides tools to help educators successfully orchestrate an equal classroom and training for those who are trying to promote equality for LGBTQ students in school.
Answer -- Rutgers University has created a page devoted to answering LGBTQ questions and providing sexual education to both students and teachers. Teachers can sign-up for an online workshop to help learn how to tackle these issues in the classroom.
The Continuing Use of Problematic Sexual Stereotypes in Judicial Decision-Making -- A study examining the reasons that sexual stereotypes are used in decision making in the English and Welsh legal systems. The article also looks at judicial gender discrepancies in the United States.
International Guidelines on Sexuality Education:An Evidence Informed Approach to Effective Sex, Relationships and HIV/STI Education -- a report done by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the International Guidelines on Sexuality Education that gives information on many aspects of sex education including sexual orientation.
Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian and Gay Students -- A booklet developed by Youth Pride, Inc. that includes advice and resources for teachers and educators on ways to decrease homophobia in schools. The booklet also has specific activities for teachers to use to increase acceptance and awareness of LGBTQ issues.
Gay/Straight Clubs Formed by Public School Students: Why School Officials Need to Treat them Equally -- developed by lawyers from several organizations, including the ACLU LGBT Project, for individuals and groups concerned with LGBT rights and the formation of GSAs. There are eleven points, including legal reasons, highlighting why GSAs are important and should be treated like other school organizations.
Gay-Straight Alliances: Ground Zero for School Tolerance -- an article from Education World examining the controversy surrounding GSAs. This article looks at the controversy, necessity, legal protections and benefits of GSAs.
Safeguarding LGBT Students -- This is a blog post discussing the role that educators have in making schools safer and more LBGT friendly.
Ways to Fight Homophobia in Your School -- good suggestions for teachers and others at the L.A. Youth site.
A Brief History of Gay Athletes -- a timeline of when some 20th century gay athletes came out -- includes information about their accomplishments and contributions.
A List of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trangender Sportspeople -- a Wikipedia listing of LGBT athletes, when they came out, and what they have accomplished and contributed.
Understanding Families with Gay and Lesbian Parents -- this lesson plan is appropriate for Elementary aged children and offers a great way to introduce younger children to the topic of homosexuality and the stereotypes surrounding around it.
Stonewall and Beyond: Gay and Lesbian Issues -- this lesson plan includes the discussion of the Stonewall Inn raid and the bias that homosexuals must live with in society while using the National Standards for History Education.
COLAGE -- this is a great site for support for children, youth and adults with LGBT parents.
ACLU LGBT Youth & Schools -- This is the ACLU’s section of the website where they describe student civil rights.
Gay Education – Is Homosexuality a Choice -- This instructional style video goes through all of the myths of homosexuality, from discussions of genetic to the effectiveness of gay reversal/conversion therapy.
Advocates for Youth: Rights, Respect, Responsibility -- this is a good site for information on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. There is also information on creating appropriate programs for your school community.
National Gay and lesbian Task Force: Education Policy -- a resource addressing many issues that homosexuals must contend with, ranging from LGBT statistics, to personal stories, to issues of harassment and violence.
Gay Marriage and Homophobia, News, Information, Events -- an extremely valuable resource providing numerous links to varying sites. There are many articles pertaining to homosexuality in relation with religion, issues with gay marriage, and a few articles relating to hate crimes.
Queers in History: 900 Fascinating True Stories-- a website about a book of this title, by Keith Stern -- includes excerpts from the book.
LGBTQ+ and Addiction Resources -- a website dedicated to providing information regarding substance abuse and other disorders that may be relevant to the LGBTQ+ community as well as educators.