Mountain Lake PBS honors and celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride this June and all year!
Pride is the celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and the LGBTQ+ rights movement. It is dedicated to the self-affirmation, equality, and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. Many communities host parades, festivals, and rallies in June to mark the occasion.
Pride month is a time to commemorate the fight for equal rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. It offers an opportunity to have open discussions with our children—however they identify—about the experiences and lives of LGBTQ+ individuals today and yesterday. By reflecting on watershed moments like the 1969 New York City Stonewall Riots and learning about generations of LGBTQ+ leaders and advocates, we can give our children a better understanding of how far we’ve come and how much further we need to go.
Check out the resources below to learn more about the history of Pride and LGBTQ+ rights, how to be an ally and advocate, and what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community today.
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Learn About LGBTQ+ History: Then & Now
How Far Does the Supreme Court’s Ruling Go to Protect LGBTQ Rights? | PBS NewsHour
Grades 6-12
The Supreme Court announced a milestone decision in 2020, ruling that job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender identity is illegal. What is the significance of this decision for LGBTQ rights, even beyond the realm of employment? Judy Woodruff talks to the Human Rights Campaign’s Alphonso David and the ACLU’s Chase Strangio, one of the lawyers who worked on the case.
The Pursuit: 50 Years in the Fight for LGBT Rights
Grades 9-12
The Pursuit is a reflection on 50 years in the fight for LGBT rights. Contrasting stories from LGBT experiences past and present, a complex and vibrant picture emerges that demonstrates both how far the community has come and how far there is left to go.
The LGBTQ Movement and Stonewall Riots
Grades 9-12
In this video, learn about the LGBTQ Movement, the Stonewall riot and its enduring impact. Using video, discussion questions, and classroom activities, students can explore LGBTQ history, examine cause and effect, and create an argument-based claim.
From Stonewall Riots to Raves: How Did Pride Become a Parade? | Origin of Everything
Grades 9-12
June is Pride Month. How did the New York City Stonewall Riots turn into a month-long celebration? And, specifically, how did we get from picketed protests like the Annual Reminder in Philadelphia to massive parades and parties around the world? Watch this episode to find out.
Lavender Scare
Grades 9-12
Learn about the Lavender Scare and its lasting impact on the LGBTQ community in this video from First Person: Classroom. Utilizing video, discussion questions, vocabulary terms, teaching tips, and primary source documents, students will analyze the impact presidential orders have had on the LGBTQ community over the past half century.
History of The Word Gay | Origin of Everything
Grades 9-12
The word “gay” has a long history in the English language, but why did “gay” stop meaning “happy” and start referring to “same sex relationships”? Watch this episode of Origin of Everything to find out.
LGBTQ+ Leaders & Visionaries
We’Wha
Grades 6-12
Learn about We’Wha, a Zuni Ihamana, non-binary individual, in this video from First Person: Classroom. Students explore the life and lasting impact of the famous Two-Spirit Zuni cultural ambassador, negotiator, religious leader, weaver, and potter using primary sources, discussion questions, teaching tips, vocabulary, and a short activity.
Gladys Bentley
Grades 6-12
Learn about the trailblazing, gender non-conforming performer Gladys Bentley with this digital short from Unladylike2020. Constantly reinventing herself, Bentley challenged norms and pushed boundaries. Support materials include discussion questions, vocabulary, a research project on queer identity during the Harlem Renaissance, and a close reading of Bentley’s famous essay, “I am a Woman Again”.
Pauli Murray
Grades 6-12
Examine the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential equal rights leaders, Pauli Murray, in this video from First Person: Classroom. Using the video, discussion questions, teaching tips, and oral history activity, students learn about Pauli Murray and how her life intertwined with the Civil Rights and Women’s Movement in the United States.
James Baldwin
Grades 9-12
Learn about James Baldwin, the man, writer, culture critic, and activist, in this video from First Person. In the accompanying activities, students use archival footage, speeches, and passages from his most famous works to learn about the intersectionality that defined and influenced Baldwin’s career.
Marsha P. Johnson
Grades 9-12
In this video, learn about trans activist Marsha P. Johnson and her impact on the LGBTQ Movement. Utilizing video, discussion questions, teaching tips, and examination of important terms to know, your students will gain a thorough understanding of Johnson’s goals as an activist and organizer—and her lasting impact on the LGBTQ movement. Then students apply what they’ve learned from Johnson’s work and develop a platform around an issue that matters to them in an effort to organize their local community.
Allyship & Advocacy Resources
Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity: A Toolkit for Educators
Grades 6-12
Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity: A Toolkit for Educators offers a series of digital media resources to help teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and other educators understand and effectively address the complex and difficult issues faced by LGBTQ students. All video content is scaffolded by a suite of materials (informational text, conversation guides, discussion questions, and teaching tips) to facilitate their use in either classroom or professional development settings. When used in tandem, the videos and accompanying educational resources will help promote understanding, awareness, and self-esteem.
Talking to Your Child About Identity: A Resource for Parents – Planned Parenthood
Grades PreK-12
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and gender nonconforming people are a part of every community and beloved members of many families. Learn how to discuss sexual orientations and gender identities with your kid, and how to support them if they’re LGBTQ. Find resources and tips for talking to children of all ages.
Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance
A safe space and environment for LGBTQI-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Gender Queer/Non-Conforming, Intersex youth, adults, family members & allies. Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance hosts peer support groups, book readings, the annual Adirondack North Country – Plattsburgh Pride parade, and distributes resources and tools to support the LGBTQ+ community.
The Trevor Project
Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award winning short film Trevor, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
Support for LGBTQI Individuals – NAMI
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersexed (LGBTQI*) community represents a diverse range of identities and expressions of gender and sexual orientation. While belonging to the LGBTQI community can be a source of strength, it also brings unique challenges. For those who identify as LGBTQI, it’s important to recognize how your experience of sexual orientation and gender identity relates to your mental health. Find steps towards seeking LGBTQI-competent care, and a list of resources for educational and support topics on a range of LGBTQ+ topics.
Programs for LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Check out the Mountain Lake PBS Watch & Wonder block, weekdays from 1-3pm! Join us in June for Pride Month as we learn about LGBTQ+ history and explore the struggles and joys of LGBTQ+ life in communities across America.
Tuesday, June 25
2 PM: Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution | Rock the Boat
Explore the origin of a global music phenomenon born among gay and Black communities coming together in apartments and basement bars in 1970s New York, where dancefloors became a platform in their battle for visibility and inclusion.
Wednesday, June 26
1 PM: Out in Rural America
Out in Rural America is a film that explores the struggles and joys of being lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and genderqueer in rural America. Following five stories from the LGBTQ+ community over six years, the film explores the issues of self-doubt, discrimination, acceptance, and small-town and Midwestern LGBTQ+ life from a cultural, social, familial, and religious perspective.
2 PM: A Murder in Montrose: The Paul Broussard Legacy
In 1991, Paul Broussard, a 27-year-old gay man, was murdered on the streets of Houston, sparking a deafening outcry. The crime served as a wake-up call that highlighted all of the harassment and mistreatment experienced by the LGBTQ community. Explore the aftermath of this pivotal event — from civil unrest to hate crime legislation and from victim’s rights to political activism, Houston and the nation would never be the same again.
2:30 PM: Our Time | Trans Youth in America – Transforming Media & Re-Framing
One third of transgender youth in America have reported a suicide attempt last year. Behind this chilling statistic is a specter of trans representation in the media that veers from the pathological to the horrific. Filmmakers Amber Young (Transforming Media) and Delaney Mauve (Reframing) tackle trans representation in very personal stories, allowing families to talk openly about gender.
- PBS LearningMedia: Teachers and Families: How to Support Transitioning Students
Thursday, June 27
1 PM: The Lodge: LGBTQ+ Seniors
Fountaingrove Lodge in Santa Rosa, California, is the nation’s first state-licensed continuing care retirement community (CCRC) that’s specifically for LGBTQ+ seniors and their allies. The Lodge looks inside this unique experiment in gay/straight living to show us the daily lives, hopes, and fears of people in their 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. What you discover will surprise you.
1:30 PM: Aging Matters: Aging with Pride
LGBTQIA+ older adults face unique social, economic and health challenges. Organizations and individuals are working to address loneliness and access to competent, affirming healthcare and assisted living communities. We shine a light on what many in the Stonewall Generation have had to endure and fight for in the hopes of effecting positive community change in the ongoing pursuit of equality.
2 PM: Justly Wed: Stories from the Marriage Equality Movement
Experience the firsthand and intimate recollections of four couples who were at the vanguard of the marriage equality movement in San Francisco, and the legacy of this watershed moment in American history.
- PBS LearningMedia: Lawmakers Pass Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Legislation | PBS NewsHour