- Zinn Education Project

Women, Gays, and Other Voices of Resistance

Teaching Activity. By Jack Bareilles.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 19 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the emergence and legacy of the 1960s counterculture, as well as the movements it helped create.

July 4, 1965: First Annual Reminder Demonstration for Gay and Lesbian Rights

Gay and lesbian activists on the east coast protested in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia to demand equitable treatment and respect.

How to Survive a Plague

Film. Directed by David France. Public Square Films. 2012. 109 minutes.
This documentary is about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and the grassroots movement of activists, many of them in a life-or-death struggle, who seized upon scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease.

Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington

Book — Non-fiction. By Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, and Michael G. Long. 2019. 168 pages.
A biography of antiwar and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.

A Queer History of the United States for Young People

Book — Non-fiction. By Michael Bronski, adapted for by Richie Chevat. 2019. 336 pages.
A young adult readers edition of the original text explores the history of LGBTQ+ experiences in the U.S. since 1500.

ACT UP New York Activists | Zinn Education Project

June 5, 1981: AIDS Epidemic Recognized by Medical Community

The CDC published a medical study about five gay men, plagued by a mysterious autoimmune disease (AIDS), in June 1981.

June 28, 1969: Stonewall Riots

Police arrived at the Stonewall Inn and arrested anyone found to be cross-dressing, resulting in mayhem and what are now referred to as the Stonewall Riots. This was a milestone in a long history of LGBTQ+ activism.

June 24, 1973: UpStairs Lounge Massacre

The largest LGBTQ massacre in U.S. history (until the Orlando Massacre) occurred at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans.

Oct. 7, 1998: Matthew Shepard Beaten and Left to Die

Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, robbed, and left to die.

Apr. 26, 1968: Kiyoshi Kuromiya Led Protest of Vietnam War Napalm

Lifelong gay rights and anti-war activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya held a demonstration while in college against the use of napalm in Vietnam by announcing that a dog would be burned alive with napalm in front of the university library.

Rethinking Sexism, Gender, and Sexuality

Teaching Guide. Edited by Annika Butler-Wall, Kim Cosier, Rachel Harper, Jeff Sapp, Jody Sokolower, and Melissa Bollow Tempel. Rethinking Schools. 2016. 476 pages.
A collection of essays on how to create a nurturing classroom at different grade levels, curriculum, teachers coming out, organizing beyond classroom walls, and integrating LGBTQ+ content into teacher education programs and ongoing teacher education.

101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History

Book — Non-fiction. By Michele Bollinger and Dao Tran. 2012.
A collection of 101 brief and accessible profiles of rebels, radicals, and fighters for social justice.

I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Michael G. Long. By Bayard Rustin. Foreword by Julian Bond. 2012. 276 pages.
The story of the behind-the-scenes strategist, organizer, and advocate of non-violence, Bayard Rustin.

The Times of Harvey Milk

Film. Directed by Rob Epstein. 1984. 90 minutes.
Documentary on the political career and assassination of Harvey Milk, San Francisco's first openly gay supervisor.

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Film. Produced by Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer. 2002. 83 minutes.
Documentary about the life of peace, labor, and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.

Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case That Made History

Film. Southern Poverty Law Center. 2010. 40 minutes.
This documentary shows the devastating impact of bullying on students, in this case a gay student who works with lawyers to win a precedent setting case to create a safe place for students in school.

Beyond Tolerance: A Resource Guide for Addressing LGTBQI Issues in Schools

Teaching Guide. Published by New York Collective of Radical Educators. 2010.
A curricular resource guide on Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Questioning, and Intersex (LGBTQI) for educators.

Americans Who Tell the Truth

Website. Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.

GLSEN – Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Website. Provides news on LGBT issues for teachers and students, as well as K-12 lesson plans, curricular tools and teacher training programs.

book cover showing freedom riders protesting near a bus

A Young People’s History of the United States: Revised and Updated

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff with additions by Ed Morales. 2022. 544 pages.
A young adult version of the best-selling A People’s History of the United States.

Gays in History

Poster. By Laurie Casagrande.
Features 10 well-known women and men in the arts who were gay or lesbian from throughout history.

LGBTQ+ History in High School Classes in the United States Since 1990

Book — Non-fiction. By Stacie Brensilver Berman. 2021. 296 pages.
Based on interviews with high school teachers about integrating LGBTQ+ history in their classes, this book offers the first detailed portrait of educators and activists championing a more inclusive and accurate vision of U.S. history.

Teaching Activity by Stacie Brensilver Berman

The Day of Silence: Queer Kids, Conservative Kids, and the Silences Within and Between Them

Article. By Anna McMaken-Marsh. Rethinking Schools. 2022.
A high school teacher navigates the tensions that arise in conversations with students about the Day of Silence, and how to bridge divides.

Expanding Intersectional Queer History in the Elementary Grades

Article. By Laura Shelton. Rethinking Schools. 2022.
A 5th- and 6th-grade teacher asks her students to wrestle with what “identity” and “intersectionality” mean.

La historia del pueblo de Estados Unidos para jóvenes

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff with additions by Ed Morales. Translated by Hugo García Manríquez. 2023. 608 pages.
A Spanish translation of the young adult version of the best-selling A People’s History of the United States.