Chicago History Museum

From a 2012 exhibit at the Chicago History Museum entitled “Out In Chicago” are some details about the exhibit and a link to 14 images, with descriptions, that were used in the exhibit. The images are worth viewing and can be used in classroom research or projects.

Gay Facts
**NOT recommended for school due to language and images**

There is some interesting information on this site.  The timeline is very detailed, spans across the world dating back to 12,000 BCE, and includes a lot of US history as well. 

Gay History & Literature:  Essays by Rictor Norton

glbtq

“The world’s largest encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture.”  This site is virtually endless.  (occasionally the site becomes ‘off-center’, just refresh or re-visit)
 
Just to highlight a few:
Social Sciences Index (a-e) – entries by topic
Gay Rights Movement in the US
African-American and African Diaspora Art
Transgender Issues in the Law

GLBT Historical Society

“Often referred to as San Francisco's "queer Smithsonian," the GLBT Historical Society houses one of the world's largest collections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender historical materials.”

This is an expansive website with so much to offer. 

The “MUSEUM” link provides more just than basic information about their museum in California. Scroll down for websites for LGBT archive collections from countries around the world as well as links for their online exhibitions. There are a wealth of visual, audio, and written resources.

The “RESEARCH” link takes you to searchable collections of personal accounts, periodicals, oral histories, and more.
 
Here are links to their Online Exhibitions at the GLBT Historical Society:
Passionate Struggle: Dynamics of San Francisco's GLBT History
Lineage: Matchmaking in the Archives
Dykes on Bikes: 30 Years at the Forefront
OutRanks: GLBT Military Service From World War II to the Iraq War
Capturing the Moment: The Photojournalism of Rick Gerharter
Council on Religion and the Homosexual

Lesbian History Archives

Located in Brooklyn and established  in 1979, the Lesbian History Archives provides the “world's largest collection of materials by and about lesbians and their communities”.  There are ways to use their resources from a distance, as well as a small amount of digitized material.

Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project

“The Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project …founded in 1994, is an organization which researches, interprets and communicates the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Pacific Northwest for the purposes of study, education and enjoyment.” There are links to oral histories and websites for more information, projects, archives, and more. Most of the links work; some do not.

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives

ONE was created in 1952 and is the “is the oldest active Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning (LGBTQ) organization in the United States and the largest repository of LGBTQ materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records and personal papers.”

Here is a link to their digital collection of 678 photographs

Out History

“The website on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and, yes, heterosexual U.S. history that anyone with data and sources can edit”

The exhibits study a wide variety of topics from literature to personal stories and feature quotes, photos, and document excerpts.
http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Exhibits

Here are links to articles written about cases and laws persecuting sodomy during the colonial era:
http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Colonial_America:_The_Age_of_Sodomitical_Sin

Here you will find postcards from the early – mid 1900s:
http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Postcards:_Masculine_Women,_Feminine_Men;_early-20th_c.#cite_note-0

Here you will find images of the police reports from Stonewall, along with transcriptions:
http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/Stonewall_Riot_Police_Reports,_June_28,_1969

PBS

“We Were Here”:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june12/wewerehere_06-14.html
Spencer Michels interviews the filmmaker, David Weissman and provides insight into the film.

Here you will find a timeline, interviews, the trailer, and some clips from the film:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/we-were-here/ 

“Out of the Past”:
http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/
This page is full of information about Lesbian and Gay history in America, dating back over 400 years, and provides links within links for different time periods, people, and topics.

List of “Point of View” and related films:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/topics/glbt/#.UcX7tvY4VUN
(some films may be viewed, in full, from the site)

LGBT History in the Making

The American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU has been defending the rights of the LGBT community since 1936 and this is a link to an inter-active timeline of the role the ACLU has played since then.
http://www.aclu.org/timelines/aclu-advocacy-expanding-lgbt-rights-over-75-years 
This page provides links to short articles about the history of some ACLU action on behalf of specific LGBT movements.
http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-history-forging-path-equality-lgbt-people

Below are some specific articles and pages relating to current statuses of the LGBT community in this country:
http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/aclu-history-earliest-advocacy-behalf-lgbt-people
http://www.aclu.org/marriage-same-sex-couples#MarriageInStates  (many related links at the end of this article)
http://www.aclu.org/maps/same-sex-relationship-recognition

The Center

“The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center is at the heart of the LGBT community in New York City, providing quality health and wellness programs in a welcoming space that fosters connections and celebrates our cultural contributions. The Center provides a secure place to come together and plan, share knowledge and expertise, and to shape our future as a vibrant community in New York and around the world.”

This map shows how each state treats the LGBT community through laws at a quick glance.
http://www.gaycenter.org/node/7173

GLAAD

GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.

This is an up-to-date FAQ page, from the ‘gladd’ website, for the current Supreme Court case regarding the federal government’s recognition of same-sex marriage.
http://www.glaad.org/marriage/doma 

The Human Rights Campaign

“As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality. Founded in 1980, HRC advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.”

The FAIR Education Act

The goal for this website is to be a one-stop place to find lessons and resources to support teachers to make history and social studies a more fair, accurate, inclusive and respectful experience for all students.  Click on the grade level of the lesson that you’re looking for, and once you’ve tried a lesson, please leave some feedback so other educators can benefit from your experience.

GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network

GLSEN is an organization for students, parents, and educators that tries to affect positive chance in schools. This is a wonderful resource for teachers who are looking for ways to incorporate LGBT history, themes, and people into your curriculum. You can explore a variety of lesson plans and other educational resources by clicking on the TEACH tab at the top of the page: http://www.glsen.org/educate/resources/curriculum

The Harvey Milk Foundation

“Harvey believed broad public education and dialogue was paramount to his life’s work as a civil rights leader and, as if riding on Harvey’s shoulders, the Milk Foundation seeks to inspire individuals, communities and organizations to carry on his values in a timeless vision for a better world.”

This website has tons of information, articles, resources, etc.  Here is the link to using his story in schools (and it includes an Elementary curriculum!):
http://milkfoundation.org/harvey-in-schools/using-the-harvey-milk-story-in-schools/

Teaching Tolerance

“A place for educators to find thought-provoking news, conversation and support for those who care about diversity, equal opportunity and respect for differences in schools”

The Role of Gay Men and Lesbians in the Civil Rights Movement
Lessons highlighting four individuals who were invaluable to the civil rights movement

http://www.tolerance.org/category/classroom-resources/sexual-orientation
Ten lesson plans and one activity exchange focused on LGBT history

Best Practices: Creating an LGBT-inclusive School Climate
This is a point-by-point guide to what helps create an inclusive environment for LGBT students. 
(PDF – printable and reproducible)

Responding to Hate and Bias at School
“Are plans in place to respond to a bias incident or hate crime? Too often these plans are created in the moment during the actual crisis. Bias incidents are far too complex for on-the-fly planning; an early misstep can heighten tension and damage chances for long-term success.” This is a guide for administrators as well as teachers, counselors, and students.  (PDF – printable and reproducible)

A Gender Spectrum Glossary
A list of LGBT vocabulary

Common Roadblocks
Rebuttals for arguments against creating inclusive environments

Classroom Activities
Activities for preventing and dealing with bullying

Poster
A classroom poster welcoming all

Examining Your School’s Climate
This link provides resources to assess your school. (Questionnaire)
   
Speak Up at School
This guide essentially aids teachers and other school officials in knowing how to respond to language driven by bias and hate.  (PDF – printable and reproducible)

Out at Last
A short article about what might happen if teachers are allowed to “come out” in school. There is a toolkit that accompanies this article.

Class Outing
An article about teachers teaching out of the closet.  (PDF – printable and reproducible)
This activity accompanies the article.

Huffington Post

What a Riot: Taking Pride in Our Past; June 14, 2013

An article about the history of Pride; includes a number of photographs.

News-Gazette

No Clear Direction – Gay Marriage in Illinois After Court Ruling; June 27, 2013

New York Times

Three articles from the early 1980s:

Beleagured Teacher May Get Job Back; June 28, 1981
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/28/nyregion/beleagured-teacher-may-get-job-back.html

Voting on Whether a Landlord can Refuse to Rent to Homosexuals; January 16, 2982
http://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/16/us/austin-voting-on-whether-a-landlord-can-refuse-to-rent-to-homosexuals.html

Psychiatrists on Homosexuality - Vigorous Discord Voiced at Meeting; January 26, 1982
http://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/26/science/psychiatrists-on-homosexuality-vigorous-discord-voiced-at-meeting.html

Wikipedia – Prop 8

This Wikipedia page seems to do a good job explaining Proposition 8, which has just been ruled on by the US Supreme Court.

Illinois Safe Schools Alliance

“The mission of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) is to promote safety, support and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing and research.
The goals of the Alliance are: 1) Public education, 2) Youth Organizing, and 3) Policy Advocacy.”

East Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (eCISSA)
http://www.ecissa.org/

“The goal of the east-Central Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (eCISSA) is eliminate all bullying of LGBTQ students and to create a school environment where youth feel nurtured and safe to be themselves, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We work with our parent organization, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (ISSA), to provide school staff and administration the information and tools necessary to create a safe atmosphere to promote youth education.”

LGBT Resource Center

“The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center serves as an integral part of the University community, dedicated to intellectual and personal development of the individual. Our mission is to foster an environment that is open, safe and inclusive for people of all sexualities and gender identities.”

The UP Center of Champaign County

“The UP (Uniting Pride) Center of Champaign County is a multi-service agency, for youth and adults, with a purpose to support and promote human care, education, and community-building activities directed at furthering the well-being and development of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and ally community of Champaign County.”