ACTIVITIES

Guidance

Ideally, all five programmes should be watched in order as the stories develop throughout the series, offering more complex and authentic insights into these young people's lives.

Coming out, family relationships and homophobic bullying are issues that are central to many LGB young people's lives and are therefore addressed in every programme. Different issues are explored in depth in the Activities of each programme, but learning can be enhanced by viewing other programmes in the series.

Gay to Z enables discussion regarding homophobia, sexual orientation and society's attitudes towards LGB people. Sensitivity and respect for everybody in the classroom should be uppermost in teachers' minds - pupils should be reminded that there are LGB people in the school and many people in the school have family and friends who identify as LGB.

If this is the first activity undertaken, carry out the Group Agreement exercise in Programme 1: Activities. If this has already been done, consider whether it is worthwhile revisiting the Group Agreement before proceeding.

Clips

To view 4Learning video clips you will need Windows XP/2000 and Windows Media Player 9, 10 or 11. Unfortunately, the clips are not supported on Macintosh computers.

The video clips may contain a few seconds of extra material at the beginning and end. We have therefore included opening and closing descriptions to help identify the intended scene.

Activity: Homophobic bullying

Ideally, this activity should be undertaken following the one in Programme 2: Homophobia and its effects.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, pupils should:

• Understand the effects of homophobic bullying on LGB young people
• Understand ways in which they can prevent and challenge homophobic bullying in their own schools.

Watch Clip 2: Homophobic bullying 04:15 – 09:41

• Opens with, 'I actually do have a very funny phobia.'
• Closes with, 'They were a little bit like, "Ooh, wow, he can do it."'

Discussion points

• How would homophobic bullying make someone feel? Unsafe, scared, lonely?
• How might it affect their time at school? Truancy, low attainment, difficulties in concentrating, no friends, loneliness?
• Ask pupils what they think LGB young people being homophobically bullied would want to change in schools. Teachers take it more seriously? Pupils learn that it is unacceptable? It is important that pupils do not feel removed from the problem of homophobic bullying. Discussion should ensure that they are able to relate it to their own lives and take personal responsibility for ensuring that they and their peers are not made to feel like Ollie.
• Ask pupils to think of one thing that they themselves can do to stop homophobic bullying in their school. Not using homophobic words? Challenging other people's language? Telling someone if they witness bullying?

Activity: Stereotypes and role models

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, pupils should:

• Understand the importance of role models
• Understand that LGB people do not fit into stereotypical roles – there are many different types of LGB people, some that people might expect and others completely different
• Understand that prejudice affects the visibility of LGB people and stops them being role models for LGB young people.

Before viewing

• Discuss with pupils what they think a role model is. Someone you admire? Someone you aspire to be like?
• Ask whether pupils think that having role models is important. What if there was nobody to look up to?
• Ask pupils to name some of the famous people they look up to and write the names on a flipchart/board. Ask what they admire about them. Encourage a mix of professions - for example, from sport, music, fashion, politics. Try to introduce the idea that, often, people's role models have skills or attributes like their own
• Ask pupils to think of any famous people who are LGB? Likely first answers will be gay men from entertainment e.g. Elton John, Graham Norton, etc.

Explain that you are going to watch clips about two young men with different interests.

Watch Clip 3: Role models and stereotypes 18:55 – 20:51

• Opens with, 'Nearly 300 miles away, Ollie is stuck in Chester and is dying to escape.'
• Closes with, 'I'm definitely going to try and help.'

Watch Clip 1: Role models and stereotypes 00:23 – 03:44

• Opens with, 'We've got two games to go this season.'
• Closes with, '…people who are just doing interesting things with their lives.'

Points for discussion:

• Were pupils surprised that Alex is gay and plays football? If yes, why?
• Ask pupils about some of the common stereotypes of LGB people. Make this brief. Everyone knows the common stereotypes of, for example, camp men but this lesson is designed to challenge these stereotypes, not to indulge them or to provide space for homophobic comment.
• Ask whether pupils are surprised that there are no 'out and proud' gay footballers. Do they think that there are actually any gay footballers in the Premier League? Introduce the idea of prejudice and homophobia stopping people from coming out in certain professions.

Be sure not to place greater value on either Alex or Ollie's interests, the point to make is that they are both young gay men who are interested in different things and it is the difference that should be remembered.

Link discussion about the importance of role models to what pupils have just seen in the clips, stressing that we are all different and there should be a range of role models for all young people to look up to, including LGB young people.