TODAY, 11th October, is celebrated in many countries as ‘National Coming Out Day’, a campaign to promote a safe world for LGBT+ individuals to live truthfully and openly.
National Coming Out Day logo
This morning I marked the occasion by giving a lecture to around 300 trainee teachers, to raise awareness of issues around gender and sexuality, and to explore these in age-appropriate ways in their classroom or school.
As I originally qualified as a primary school teacher, then became a youth worker and ran an LGBT+ youth group for ten years, I was delighted in 2015 to be asked to bring these two strands of my experience together and share it with the next generation of educators.
In October 2015 one of my lectures was recorded at Edge Hill University for students who were learning remotely. I have updated some of the research and content since then, but my approach remains the same.
If you watch the lecture below (1 hour), and would like to discuss the issues or explore having an LGBT+ awareness session in your community, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
I have also developed workshops on on gender and sexuality appropriate for faith communities, in association with St Peter’s House Chaplaincy to the Manchester Universities, and the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool course for Spiritual Directors, and would welcome the opportunity to accompany any faith community in reflection on what gender and sexuality means for them.
At the end of the lecture I mention the youth groups I used to run. The times of their meetings has since changed. To get the latest info, click here.
I have written in previous years about the origin of National Coming Out Day and why we still need it, and shared my own coming out story.
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[…] Today I spent time I spent time with 3rd Year Primary Education students at Edge Hill University sharing inspiration and resources for age-appropriate education on gender and sexuality. I shared an earlier version of this lecture here. […]