Welcome at LGBT education
GALE is a learning community focusing on education about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. We promote the full inclusion of people who are disadvantaged because of their sexual orientation, sexual identity and their expression by identifying, enhancing and sharing educational expertise. The membership of the community is free and open to anyone actively involved in education about LGBT issues.
Critical review of LGBTIQ+ education policy in the Netherlands shows inner workings of a supportive state - May 17, 2024
17 May 2024 - Today GALE publishes a new review of the DESPOGI/LGBTIQ+ education policy In the Netherlands. As usual, GALE checked the national education policy on the 15 checkpoints of the GALE Checklist. In 2017, GALE scored the Dutch policy as 95%, which falls in the supportive range. In 2024, GALE rated the Netherlands as 73%, which still falls in the supportive range but in the lower part of it. The elaborate review shows how even a supportive state struggles to make steps forward. Making policy and initiating interventions is one thing but having an impact on the social realities is considerably more challenging.
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Research shows that Dutch schools are hardly a transformative experience for LGBTIQ+ students - April 24, 2024
24 April 2024 - In this global action week for transformative education, GALE published a research which shows how Dutch LGBTIQ+ students feel that their schools are hardly a transformative experience. GALE did a survey among high school students and asked their assessment of how 15 key aspects of the right to education were implemented for LGBTIQ+ students. The general impression was that this “is not so clear”, which eventually also became the title of the report. This research among students is part of a renewed GALE assessment of the Dutch national LGBTIQ+ education policy, which will be published next month.
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My-ID project publishes guides for schools on how to cooperate with parents on sexual and gender diversity - December 04, 2023
4 December 2023 - The European My-ID partnership closed its two-year project with the publication of three products on how schools can cooperate with parents on the topic of sexual and gender diversity. The three products are a School Guide on how to communicate with parents, a template for a Brochure for Parents to inform school parents about the LGBTIQ+ policy of the school and a short general Parent’s Leaflet for all parents for the national levels of project partners.
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New take on LGBTIQ+ teacher training - August 24, 2023
24 August 2023 - The My-ID project has published a new open-source user manual on how to develop an optimal teacher training on LGBTIQ+ issues. The manual gives a new take on LGBTIQ+ training. Rather than focusing on LGBTIQ+ “visibility” and giving teachers information on how to “correctly” approach LGBTIQ+ students, the manual and the accompanying background reader offer a view on how teacher can be approached on the emotional and attitudinal level.
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Spanish study shows how stories of LGBT teachers can improve initial teacher training - August 17, 2023
17 August 2023 - A Spanish study explored what impact stories of LGBT teachers can have on students in initial teacher training. The results show how life stories are a good method of raising awareness among trainee teachers by showing the reality of LGBT, including the barriers they may face in schools. In this article the study is summarized and some criticisms on the study are highlighted.
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