LGBT+ History Month
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Students discover why LGBT+ History Month is marked every February in the UK and meet four notable LGBTQ+ figures from British history. Section 28 and the story of the Pride flag frame a discussion on progress, allyship and inclusion.
Some students may be LGBTQ+ or questioning, or have LGBTQ+ family members: agree ground rules that rule out stereotyping and speculation about anyone's identity, never ask students to disclose their own, and follow the school's safeguarding procedures if a disclosure is made.
Who is LGBT+ history month for?
Gay people
Everyone
Rich People
Businesses
This question checks the misconception that LGBTQ+ is linked to age, wealth or job: it describes sexual orientation and gender identity, so people in any of the other options can also be LGBTQ+.
Stretch: Ask students to explain what each letter in LGBTQ+ stands for and why the plus sign was added.
Device-Free: Read the options aloud and have students hold up one to four fingers for A to D.
What is LGBT+ History Month?
LGBT+ History Month is an annual celebration of the lives, struggles, and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) people, and it is celebrated in the UK every February. The month-long celebration aims to challenge prejudice, promote equality, and provide a platform for reflection on progress and the history of LGBT+ communities.
The month gives schools a fixed point each February to recognise LGBT+ people's lives and contributions alongside the wider curriculum.
Stretch: Ask students to explain why a dedicated month might help challenge prejudice, and whether one month is enough.
Device-Free: Read the text aloud and ask students to note on paper the three aims it names.
Background Information
The UK celebration was first launched in 2005 and was influenced by the idea of highlighting the contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals whose stories have been overlooked.
The UK month was founded in 2005 by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick of the education charity Schools OUT UK, two years after Section 28 was repealed in England and Wales.
Stretch: Ask students why stories can be left out of history books and how a dedicated month helps put them back.
Device-Free: Pairs discuss why some stories become overlooked and share one reason with the class.
The 2027 theme is...
Check the official LGBT+ History Month website for the 2027 theme and add it to this slide before teaching.
Stretch: Ask students how the theme connects to one of the figures met later in the lesson.
Device-Free: Write the theme on the board and ask students to predict what it will cover.
Why celebrate it?
We celebrate LGBT+ History Month in the UK to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ history, combat prejudice, and celebrate the contributions and diversity of the community. It also serves to educate people on the progress of LGBTQ+ rights, especially in light of historical laws like Section 28, and to create a more inclusive and accepting environment in educational and other institutions.
Section 28 was a 1988 law that stopped local authorities, including schools, from "promoting" homosexuality; it was repealed in Scotland in 2000 and in England and Wales in 2003.
Stretch: Ask students how a law like Section 28 might have affected teachers and pupils at the time.
Device-Free: Read the paragraph aloud and ask students to sum up in one sentence why the month is celebrated.
The video adds real-world context to the history covered so far; preview it to confirm it is still available and suitable for the age group.
Stretch: Ask students to identify one fact from the video that was new to them and explain why it matters.
Device-Free: If the video cannot be shown, ask students to recap the previous two slides to a partner.
The 'Pride' Flag...
This flag, which people also refer to as the "Rainbow Flag", is made up of six colours: red, orange, yellow, green, royal blue, and violet.
The Pride Flag was created in 1978 by artist Gilbert Baker.
Gilbert Baker's original 1978 flag had eight stripes; the six-colour version became standard soon afterwards and remains the most widely used.
Stretch: Ask students why a flag can become a powerful symbol for a community, giving another example of a symbol that unites people.
Device-Free: Ask students to list the six colours from memory on paper before revealing the slide.
Can you think of any famous or notable LGBTQ+ people?
This word web draws out the LGBTQ+ figures students already know from history, sport, music and public life.
Stretch: Ask students to choose one name from the web and explain what that person contributed to society.
Device-Free: Students call out names while a scribe lists them on the board; include only people who are publicly out and steer away from guesses about anyone's identity.
There are many influential people in UK history that were also members of the
LGBTQ+ community
Let's have a look at a few notable members of this community!
This slide introduces four figures from British history whose lives show both remarkable achievement and the prejudice LGBTQ+ people faced.
Stretch: Ask students to predict the challenges a well-known LGBTQ+ person might have faced a century ago, and why.
Device-Free: Ask students to guess who will appear on the next slides and record the guesses on the board.
Oscar Wilde was convicted in 1895 under the same "gross indecency" law later used against Alan Turing, and served two years in prison.
Stretch: Ask students to compare Wilde's and Turing's treatment and explain what it shows about attitudes across nearly 60 years.
Device-Free: Read the text aloud and ask students to note one achievement and one injustice from Wilde's life.
The slide covers Freddie Mercury's music only, so add that he is widely remembered as an LGBTQ+ icon and that his death from an AIDS-related illness in 1991 raised public awareness of HIV.
Stretch: Ask students why it might matter for young people to see successful LGBTQ+ performers in the public eye.
Device-Free: Ask students to name a Queen song they know and discuss why Mercury is still celebrated.
Virginia Woolf's relationship with Vita Sackville-West inspired Orlando (1928), a novel whose central character changes sex partway through; the heading image misspells her name as Woolfe.
Stretch: Ask students how fiction might have let writers explore identity at a time when it was hard to speak openly.
Device-Free: Ask students to note one fact about Woolf from the slide and one question they would ask her.
Alan Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013, and the 2017 "Alan Turing law" extended pardons to thousands of other men convicted under similar laws.
Stretch: Ask students whether a posthumous pardon is enough and what else could recognise past injustice.
Device-Free: Pairs explain to each other why Turing's treatment is now seen as unjust.
I can identify an important LGBTQ+ historical figure
This poll gauges how confident students feel about naming an important LGBTQ+ historical figure.
Stretch: Ask students who chose a confident face to name a figure and give one fact about them.
Device-Free: Students show thumbs up, sideways or down to rate their confidence.
The second video extends the real-world context; preview it before the lesson to check it is suitable and still available.
Stretch: Ask students to link one point from the video to a figure covered earlier in the lesson.
Device-Free: If the video cannot be shown, students retell one figure's story to a partner in under a minute.
Why do you think LGBTQ+ history was 'buried' for so long?
Do you think that times have changed now?
This question pushes students to evaluate why LGBTQ+ history was hidden and to judge how far attitudes have really changed.
Stretch: Ask students to support their view with a real example of change, such as the repeal of Section 28 or the arrival of same-sex marriage in England, Wales and Scotland in 2014.
Device-Free: Students write a short answer on paper, discuss in small groups and share one idea with the class.
What can you do to celebrate
LGBT+ History Month?
Library and media resources: Ensure the school library has a diverse collection of books, films, and other resources related to LGBT+ history and culture.
Allyship and safety: Use the month as an opportunity to discuss the importance of being an ally, question the use of harmful language, and promote a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
Fundraising: Organise a fundraiser for a local or national LGBT+ charity to support their work and raise awareness.
These suggestions turn learning into action and can feed into whole-school plans for the month.
Stretch: Ask students to choose the suggestion that would make the biggest difference in their school and justify the choice.
Device-Free: Groups plan one simple action from the list on paper and present it in a single sentence.
Don't forget how this all started...
Continue to create safe spaces for the LGBT+ community, strive to be the next LGBT+ forward thinker, entertainer or STEM leader and recognise the achievements of the important LGBTQ+ people from history.
This closing slide checks what students took away about recognising LGBTQ+ history and creating safe spaces; remind the class where to find support in school.
Stretch: Ask students to name one specific action that would make school more inclusive and explain its likely impact.
Device-Free: Students write one takeaway on an exit slip before leaving.