LGBTQ+ Inclusion icon

LGBTQ+ Inclusion Toolkit

LGBTQ+ Inclusion Toolkit

Toolkit collated by Bethan Hughes and Holly Parker-Guest with Jo Brassington

What Is LGBTQ+ Inclusion?

The initialism LGBT+ represents a community of people, including a variety of sexual and/or romantic orientations, as well as gender identities. In order to understand how to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, we first need to look at what these letters stand for:
  • Lesbian
  • Gay
  • Bisexual
  • Transgender
  • Queer (sometimes Questioning)
  • The plus allows space for a vast spectrum of sexual and/or romantic orientations, as well as gender identities. This includes: Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Non-Binary, Pansexual, and other language that people use to identify and meaningfully talk about their experience.

Since the 1990’s there has been significant progress in some areas of LGBTQ+ rights within the UK: from same sex marriage being made legal, to introducing the world’s first transgender action plan in 2011. More recently, we’ve seen positive progress within education: from the inclusion of LGBT+ relationships in compulsory Relationships and Sex Education, to the introduction of LGBT+ young people in the statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping Children Safe In Education.

It is important that we are creating inclusive educational environments where all students feel safe and represented – and this must include LGBTQ+ students. However, there is still much work to do to create LGBT+ inclusive educational spaces.

The key findings from the 2017 Stonewall School Report are staggering and highlight why more needs to be done to be LGBTQ+ inclusive:
  • Nearly half of LGBT pupils (45 per cent) – including 64 per cent of trans pupils – are bullied for being LGBT in Britain’s schools. This is down from 55 per cent of lesbian, gay and bi pupils who experienced bullying because of their sexual orientation in 2012 and 65 per cent in 2007
  • Half of LGBT pupils hear homophobic slurs ‘frequently’ or ‘often’ at school, down from seven in 10 in 2012
  • Seven in 10 LGBT pupils report that their school says that homophobic and biphobic bullying is wrong, up from half in 2012 and a quarter in 2007. However, just two in five LGBT pupils report that their schools say that transphobic bullying is wrong
  • Just one in five LGBT pupils have been taught about safe sex in relation to same-sex relationships
  • More than four in five trans young people have self-harmed, as have three in five lesbian, gay and bi young people who aren’t trans
  • More than two in five trans young people have attempted to take their own life, and one in five lesbian, gay and bi students who aren’t trans have done the same

More recent evidence from the 2021 Just Like Us ‘Growing Up LGBT+ Report’ found that LGBT+ young people were twice as likely to be lonely or worried daily about their mental health. Furthermore, a large-scale pupil safeguarding survey conducted in 2023 by The Key found that LGBT+ young people feel considerably less safe in school than their counterparts.

It has been proven that providing an LGBTQ+ inclusive education reduces incidents of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying as well as improving the mental wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youths. Ensuring that education is LGBTQ+ inclusive is imperative as attitudes learnt at school go with that young person into the world, the workplace and the wider community. Everyone (LGBTQ+ or not) benefits from a more inclusive education.

The Diverse Educators’ LGBTQ+ Inclusion Toolkit

We are collating a growing bank of resources to support you to be able to stand up, speak up and celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community in your school.

You may want to consider reflecting on the following questions:
  • How can we avoid LGBTQ+ discrimination in our schools?
  • How can I encourage all school staff to understand the benefits of LGBTQ+ inclusion?
  • How do I challenge LGBTQ+ discrimination-based language and incidents?
  • How do I support LGBTQ+ students to share their identity in our schools, if they choose to?
  • How can we create an LGBTQ+ inclusive culture and ethos in our schools?

What Does Good LGBTQ+ Inclusion Look Like?

To summarise
  • Bullying and use of derogatory language is consistently challenged
  • Gender neutral language is used across the school and in policies
  • Stereotypes are challenged – in the curriculum, in policies and in conversations
  • An inclusive curriculum where LGBTQ+ identities are embedded – not just stand-alone lessons
  • Diverse LGBTQ+ role models are visible
  • Staff need to have the training and the confidence to know how to support LGBTQ+ young people
  • Also, don’t underestimate visibility of LGBTQ+ members of staff and the impact of seeing them treated well. If students can see their teachers thriving then they are more likely to see how they can thrive too.

If, as educator we can create LGBTQ+ inclusive educational spaces, then we are not only setting young people up for success in our schools, but in society too.

Articles

Diversity Role Models

Pathways to LGBT+ Inclusion: Report (2020)

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Frontiers in Sociology

A Critical Analysis of LGBTQ+ Inclusion Policy in Schools (2021)

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Guardian

‘I had two separate lives’: LGBT teachers learn to speak up and get promotion (2020)

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I News

New regulations for teaching relationships and sex education in English (2020)

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Just Like Us

Growing Up LGBT+ (2021)

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The Scotsman

Scotland has become the first country in the world to embed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusive education across the school (2021)

Read

Stonewall

How LGBT inclusive education can change lives (2021)

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T and F Online

Under The Spotlight: Visible LGBT+ Teachers (2022)

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Blogs

34 LGBT+ Role Models We Can Learn about in School

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Audit your curriculum for gender and LGBTQ+ inclusivity

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But Is it Age Appropriate?

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Brook Blog - How to make sure your RSE is LGBT+ inclusive

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Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion – the ‘golden threads’ of effective practice

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The experiences of teachers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+)

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Inclusive Education

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LGBT+ inclusion in schools

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Section 28, 20 Years On

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Six Books to Help Make Your School More LGBT+ Inclusive

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Books

Dr Barnes, Elly and Dr Carlile, Anna. How to Transform Your School into an LGBT+ Friendly Place: A Practical Guide for Nursery, Primary and Secondary Teachers

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Brassington, Jo and Brett Adam. Pride and Progress: Making Schools LGBT+ Inclusive Spaces

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Dellenty, Shaun. Celebrating difference – a whole school approach to LGBT+ inclusion

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Kara, Bennie. Diversity in Schools

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Moffatt, Andrew. No Outsiders: Everyone Different, Everyone Welcome: Preparing Children for Life in Modern Britain

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Tomlinson-Gray, Daniel. Big Gay Adventures in Education: Supporting LGBT+ Visibility and Inclusion in Schools

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Uglow, Tea. Loud and Proud: LGBTQ+ Speeches that Empower and Inspire

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Podcasts

Being LGBTQ

Listen

Gender Identity

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LGBT+ in Education

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Ouch! 'I didn’t even know what bisexual was'

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Pride & Progress Podcast

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SCHOOL’S OUT: time for LGBT-inclusive education

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The Story of Section 28

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Why Do We Ostracize Some Pupils?

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Why we need LGBT+ Inclusive Schools

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Resources

Barnado’s Secondary Schools Resource Pack

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Just Like Us, Anti Bullying Week resources

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Just Like Us: Schools Diversity Week

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LGBTQ+ Primary Hub

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NEU Advice for LGBT Inclusion in schools

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Olly Alexander ‘Growing up gay’

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The Proud Trust

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Scottish platform for learning

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Shh No talking - LGBT-inclusive Sex and Relationships Education in the UK

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Stonewall – An introduction to supporting LGBT children and young people

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Stonewall – Setting up a student voice group

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TIE – Time For Inclusive Education (Scotland)

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Videos

Camelia Bui. Inclusive Language

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Grace James. Ignorance isn’t bliss - Why we need LGBTQ Education

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Kat Clark. Your words have the power to end suffering of LGBTQ youth

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Morgana Bailey. The danger of hiding who you are

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Can you be person of faith and LGBT?

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Day Inclusive Practice Seminar on LGBT+ Inclusive Education

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Is My Child Too Young To Learn About Being Gay?

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LGBTQ | How You See Me

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The Power of Gays

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Pride & Progress Bites Series

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Under The Spotlight: What does it mean to be visible as an LGBT+ teacher?

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Section 28: Past, Present, Future

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The way we think about biological sex is wrong

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