ARCHIVE for HMD2010: The Legacy of Hope
The case studies and related education resources for HMD2010, The Legacy of Hope, have been archived. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is currently focusing on the theme for this year, Untold Stories.
Inhuman Treatment and Homophobic Bullying
The Mosaic of Victims of Nazi Hatred outlines the many different groups victimised by the Nazis regime, including Gay men,Lesbians and Bisexual people. Please make sure you have read this case study before teaching this lesson. You will also need copies of these reports from Stonewall’s website The School Report, 2007; Stonewall, The Teachers’ Report, 2009; Stonewall, Homophobic Hate Crime, 2008; Prescription for Change, 2008; Peak Performance, 2008; Leagues Behind, 2009 (www.stonewall.org.uk)
The Legacy of Hope for HMD2010 provides the opportunity to explore the legacy of institutionalised homophobia which existed in Germany under the Nazi regime and to contrast and compare it with the situation of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people in Britain and other countries in past and present.
The case study also invites reflection on the hopes of those who suffered during the Nazi regime of hatred and discussion of how far we have come to realise these hopes in present day society, as well as considering what there is still left to do.
Starter
Find out, through a thought shower, what students already know about the victims of the Nazi regime. Who was persecuted, what happened to them and why did the Nazis target them? Share part of the Mosaic of Victims case study with the whole class.
After sharing the narratives ask students to write down what they feel the situation for Gay people was like in Nazi Germany, what they think were the effects on Gay people’s lives and on the lives of their families.
Research Task
Invite students to form groups and ask each group to read a different Stonewall report about the experiences of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people in present day society. Encourage students to compare and contrast the findings of their selected report with the situation of Gay people as described in the case study. Tell students to prepare to present their findings and thoughts to the
whole class.
Presentation
Allow at least five minutes for each group to present their reports.
After the presentations discuss whether anyone was surprised by what they discovered and why or why not.
Then invite students to join the Legacy of Hope for HMD2010 by learning from the past and asking serious questions about inclusion in their own society. Ask everyone to think about Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual members of their own educational community. Do students feel everyone can be themselves, without fear, in this community? Is there any evidence that homophobic bullying takes place? Do some people still use homophobic language such as ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘You’re so gay’? Are there any resources about Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual issues in the school or college? Explain that a good way to support the Legacy of Hope is to remember how wrong the Nazis were to target the Gay community and to consider what should be done to make our own society fully inclusive.
For more teaching resources and information about homophobic bullying visit www.stonewall.org.uk/at_school
- Inhuman Treatment and Homophobic Bullying (PDF: 86271 KB)