How to celebrate Pride in the classroom

The history of Pride has been firmly rooted in the month of June for over 50 years. It creates an ideal opportunity for teachers and support staff alike to reflect on the momentous steps towards equality that have already taken place as well as highlight what still needs to be done.

Your role as a leader in the classroom is to educate your pupils on the important messages that the month brings to the forefront, whilst also creating a safe environment where students can talk about anything that they are going through.

History of Pride

The Stonewall Riots, that took place on 28th June 1969, are regarded as the catalyst that started the Pride movement, when the LGBTQ+ customers of New York City’s Stonewall Inn resisted police raids on their bar. What became apparent after the riots, was a general feeling of mistreatment towards LGBTQ+ community not only in New York but around the world. The first Pride march (at the time, The Gay Liberation March) took place at the Christopher Street Liberation Day, a year later, in New York and another the following year; the UK followed suit 2 years later in 1972, commemorating their first Pride event. From here, there have been numerous annual Pride events taking place throughout the month of June across the globe; a chance to celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community but also protest their treatment and issues of inequality.

Celebrating Pride in the classroom

There are many ways to incorporate the history, key messages, and learnings that Pride has provided over the years into your lessons. Celebrating Pride in the classroom is a wonderful way to promote inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance. Here are a few ideas of engaging activities to help you create a supportive environment for all your students. We've catered the suggestions to match this year’s theme, which focuses on the significant contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in medicine and healthcare.

Why Pride is important to Tradewind employees from Scott Mason-Grieshaber, Divisional Manager in Manchester, LGBTQ+ member

"Pride is so important at Tradewind as it allows us to celebrate and recognise the differences between our colleagues, clients and candidates. Together, we are in a unique position to be able to educate the adults of tomorrow about equality and acceptance and make a real difference in shaping the future of our societies and how we respect one another. Pride is a time to reflect on the struggles of those before us, who fought so hard to gain equity in our society and recognise how fortunate we are. It’s also a time to reflect on those LGBTQ+ individuals around the world who are still fighting for a life of freedom, especially at the moment when there seems to be a resurgence of homophobia and hostility towards trans groups, even in the UK. Pride is about celebration but also about visibility and acceptance. June is the perfect time to highlight this, but Pride is a constant."

Tradewind Recruitment’s commitment to Pride

Whilst June is a fantastic opportunity to speak about the themes of Pride within the workplace and with our schools, teachers, TAs and support staff, we believe that there should always be a focus on equality for the LGBTQ+ community. As market leaders and supporters of people, it’s time we stood up and represented:

• The LGBTQ+ colleagues we work with and often call family
• The LGBTQ+ candidates and clients we partner with and support  
• The LGBTQ+ students and communities our work extends to and impacts every day