Unveiling LGBTQ+ History: Five Engaging Lessons for DC Students

In 2023, the DC State Board of Education adopted a new set of social studies standards that elevates the inclusion of the local, national, and global LGBTQ+ community history. There are nine standards that specifically ask educators to teach lessons on DC’s historically marginalized groups; including LGBTQ+ people. “Unveiling LGBTQ+ History: Five Engaging Lessons for DC Students” is DC’s first Common Core and DC Social Studies standards-aligned lessons focused on LGBTQ+ history to provide support for DC’s K-12 educators as they immerse their students in the history of the city around them. The nine standards that include LGBTQ+ history focus on teaching collective action, community building, political movements, personal experiences, civic engagement, and self-determination. The curriculum underwent a series of feedback loops where the consultant and Rainbow History Project held discussions with DC Public School principals & teachers, parents, and community organizations to determine effectiveness. 

All lessons include:

• outline,
• standards,
• lesson plan,
• vocabulary, and
• student worksheets.

The lessons will have the flexibility for different grade and ability levels, so educators have various options for identifying the most appropriate resources. Each lesson will aim to take 75 to 90 minutes and can be broken up and taught throughout the school year. The curriculum has a workbook with links to archival documents within the Rainbow History Project’s collections. The curriculum is free to use for educators both digitally and printed.

While the lessons highlight opportunities for students to delve deeply into DC’s LGBTQ+ histories, educators may find that honing in on their school’s community as a microcosm achieves similar objectives and enforces the importance of teaching about collective action, community building, political movements, personal experiences, civic engagement, and self-determination.

How do I use the Rainbow History Archive?

Digital: The majority of digital collections are catalogued with finding aids, making them easily accessible. Most prominent in the digital collections is RHP’s oral history archive. Many items, specifically images and photographs, were recently digitized for the exhibit, Those items are easily accessible within RHP’s Drive.

• The Archives Catalog contains records for all RHP collections, hundreds of digitized files and links to digitized recordings, including more than 350 oral histories.
• The RHP YouTube channel features digitized recordings of historical news footage, films and public events, including recordings of RHP’s public panels.
• The RHP Internet Archive channel contains primarily sound recordings (historic radio and other audio-only files) and certain films and other copyrighted recordings.
• Our Places and Spaces social geography database documents locations important to the D.C.-area LGBTQ community and includes basic data known about the location. It is a work in progress and additions from the public are always welcome.
• RHP Exhibits are online presentations of research projects. It is hosted within the Archives Catalog. We welcome new exhibitions and research projects created by anyone

Physical: Most of RHP’s collections, including documents, ephemera, photo negatives, and other materials, have yet to be digitized. These physical materials are accessible at RHP’s archiving partner, the DC History Center. To access these materials, researchers/writers must make an appointment or visit the DC History Center during open hours.

• All collections are described in the RHP Archives Catalog, including links to finding aids. Materials are also described in the DC History Center catalog in the online guide to the Rainbow History Project Collection.  
• RHP maintains a Guide to Finding Aids that includes titles of archival collections, periodicals and ephemera, as well as links to finding aids and indexes of periodicals available at the DC History Center. It also includes information about recent acquisitions that have not yet been transferred or digitization projects currently underway. 
• Appointments are required in order to conduct research at the Kiplinger Library. To request an appointment, email library@dchistory.org with a brief description of your research with RHP,list of requested materials, and preferences for appointments. Open Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm. 

What should I do if I am an educator that needs technical support? 

Educators experiencing technical issues with the Rainbow History Project archive can email info@rainbowhistoryproject.org with a description of your technical issue for assistance.

Educators are welcome to visit the DC history center and speak to the librarian for more learning and field trips. Appointments are required in order to conduct research at the Kiplinger Library. To request an appointment, email library@dchistory.org with a brief description of your research with RHP,list of requested materials, and preferences for appointments. Open Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.

These lessons were made possible by the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs.