A Lesson Plan from Creating Safe Space for GLBTQ Youth: A Toolkit

Purpose: To learn how discrimination feels and to identify strategies for combating it

Materials: Newsprint and markers; masking tape; handout, Stopping Harassment in its Tracks

Time: 65 minutes (Session can be broken into two 40-minute sessions)

Planning Notes: Prior to the session, write the following questions (for use in Step 2) on newsprint or chalkboard:

• Have you, or someone you care about, ever been discriminated against? If so, what happened?
• Did anyone help? If so, how?
• If not, what would you have wanted someone to do?

Procedure:

1. Remind everyone that discrimination takes many forms. Ask participants to brainstorm examples of discrimination. List their answers on newsprint or a chalkboard. Include any of the following that participants neglect to mention:
   • Teasing, name calling, or using derogatory terms for race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender
   • Excluding someone from activities, or ignoring or denying requests based on the requester's race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity
   • Sexually, physically or verbally attacking someone (especially with the 'authorities' ignoring, condoning, or even encouraging this behavior)
   • Treating someone unfairly in the workplace, public spaces, or educational institutions (for example, denying someone a job or a raise on the basis of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or age)
2. Ask participants to think of a time when they or someone they care about was treated unfairly or unequally because they were members of some specific group. Ask for volunteers to share these experiences; use the questions that you wrote up prior to the session.
3. Record the main idea of each experience on a single sheet of newsprint. (You will use these ideas later.) If participants hesitate to volunteer, begin the discussion by describing an incident that you witnessed or that occurred to you or to someone you care about. Ask participants to identify what would have helped in the situation. Then encourage others to share their stories.
4. Ask what strategies and techniques the students might use to confront and combat similar discrimination, if they saw it happening now. Help them identify effective techniques. List their ideas on the board or newsprint. Some ideas include: assertively asking the harasser to stop; standing up for the person who is being discriminated against; distracting everyone with humor; calling someone in authority, etc.
5. Hand out Stopping Harassment in its Tracks and ask participants to review it. Ask if they think the five steps to stopping harassment will work.
6. Explain that you are going to give the group a few minutes to practice the new technique using the five steps. Divide participants into groups of four or five and assign each group one of the posted discriminatory situations that were listed earlier in the session. If necessary, add more situations to the list.
7. Tell the participants that they will have 15 minutes for this next part. Go over the following instructions:
   • Decide as a group if the five steps to stopping harassment would work in the situation presented to the group. If so, create a role play to demonstrate how to use the technique. If the group doesn't think the steps will work, create a role play for another technique that your group believes might work.
   • Practice role playing the situation.
   • Be prepared to perform your role play for the other groups.
   • When the groups have finished, have them present their role plays. Invite other participants to make additional suggestions for confronting and combating discrimination.
   • Conclude the activity with the Discussion Questions below.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is it easy or difficult to speak up when your friends are discriminating against someone and you are present? Why?
2. What would support you in standing up against discrimination?

Adapted with permission from Teen Outreach, Changing Scenes Curriculum, Cornerstone Consulting Group, Houston, TX.

Reprinted from Creating Safe Space for GLBTQ Youth: A Toolkit, Girl's Best Friend Foundation and Advocates for Youth, © 2005.
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