Learn About LGBTQ+ Leaders & History During Pride Month!

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: ClassroomUsing 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

During LGBTQ+ Pride Month, check out the Mountain Lake PBS Learning at Home block! Join us as we learn about LGBTQ+ history, explore the struggles and joys of LGBTQ+ life in communities across America, and celebrate the important contributions made by LGBTQ+ Americans.

Tuesday, June 14

2 PM: American Masters | Ballerina Boys

Ballerina Boys is a portrait of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male ballet company and international dance sensation. For over 45 years the company has shared their signature style and message of equality, inclusion and social justice with audiences around the world. The men perform classical ballet en pointe and in drag, challenging the art form’s rigid gender norms as they mix rigorous technique with comedy and satire. Inspired by the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the company was fueled by the spirit of defiance and creative exuberance that the gay rights movement unleashed. The film follows The Trocks on tour in the Carolinas, an epicenter of continued struggles for LGBTQ rights.

Wednesday, June 15

2 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.

Thursday, June 16

2 PM: Prideland

“Prideland” is a one-hour special and short-form digital series following host and “POSE” actor Dyllón Burnside on a journey across the American South to meet diverse members of the LGBTQ+ community who are finding ways to live with pride in the modern South. We begin with a one-hour broadcast special, kicking off Burnside’s expedition in his own hometown of Pensacola, Florida. He explores what the South means to him, talks about how he was fired from his church for coming out, and discusses how the South is home to more queer people than any other region in the U.S.