Forget the tudors... and teach transvestism

Last updated at 10:56 04 January 2006


Among lessons recommended by LGBT History Month are:

For pupils aged seven to 11:

  • "Pupils should be asked to sit silently and think of all the unpleasant names they hear pupils call each other in the playground. The teacher should ask them to repeat them and write them up on the board.

    "This will provoke some embarrassment from the pupils as many of the words will be sexual or swear words. The teacher must remain matter of fact about the exercise."

  • "If no words are forthcoming, the teacher should begin: 'Well, when I was on playground duty I heard one boy call another a poof'

  • "A follow up would be to look at each of the words and discuss their real meaning and why that particular word is insulting. Issues of prejudice against groups and individuals should come up here."

    • For older pupils:

    • "Students are expected to discover and learn that sex and gender diversity is one of the last great secret taboos on our society."

  • "People are not always simply male or female. Sex and gender are separate concepts from each other and both are distinct from sexual orientation."

  • "Popular cultural references to be 'used as a starting point for exploring the fascination which people have with the idea of gender-crossing'. These include Big Brother ('real-life contestant Nadia Almada'); Grayson Perry ('prize-winning artist who is a transvestite')' Eddie Izzard ('How does Eddie compare with the earlier phenomenon of Boy George?'); Ladyboys of Bangkok ('entertainment drawing on substantial gender-crossing culture in Thailand'); Psycho ('portraying transvestite people as murderously psychotic'). "

  • "Famous gays and lesbians. Have this list of names written on the whiteboard: James Dean, Martina Navratilova, Graham Norton, Freddie Mercury, Leonardo da Vinci, Will Young, Oscar Wilde, Yves Saint Laurent, Hans Christian Andersen, Peter Maxwell Davies, Rock Hudson, Stephen Gately, Dale Winton, Kevin Spacey, Tennessee Williams. "Ask students what they know about these famous people. Ask students what all of these people have in common. They are all gay or lesbian!"

  • "Who is your favourite LGBT person from history?" Listed entries for the competition include Michelangelo, Joe Orton, Roman Emperor Hadrian, mathematician Alan Turing, comedian Larry Grayson, and Hayley Cropper, who is not a historical figure but a character from Coronation Street."

  • Students are urged to follow activities suggested by Amnesty International's Education Authority, exploring the human rights of sexual minorities.

  • Activities include holding a debate on whether bands that record sexist and homophobic music should be banned. Students would consider whether homophobic Jamaican reggae artists such as Buju Banton, Elephant Man and Beenie Man should have been banned by the Government from touring Britain.

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