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Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO LGBT Pride Month curated Lesson Plans. Includes a class discussion guide and learning outcome.

Credit: Levi Saunders [Public Domain] via Unsplash, modified

Get inspired by films, stories and art about LGBT+ heroes!

For LGBT+ Pride Month we shine a light on LGBT+ heroes who have shaped culture. Don't forget to check out our LGBT+ History Month page to read about activists who advanced LGBT+ rights.

Family-Friendly Films

TRANSPARENCY: Becoming Oliver

Tessa Grace Morell

Experimental short film made to visually accompany the original poem "Becoming Oliver" written by Oliver Marino.

I Have Four Parents

Daniel Roy

This video is a magical rendition of the story of my very unique four-parent family. Everything I talk about in the video is true, and these are the answers to the questions I most commonly get asked.

Love Has No Labels

Produced by:Prod. The Ad Council / Dir. R/GA

The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, others and institutions.

Austin Police Department & LGPOA: It Gets Better

Produced by:Steven McCormick/Shawn Northcutt

The Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association sends a message to LGBTQ youth that it does get better.

Janet Miller

Produced by:The Working Group

Janet Miller leads her students to stand up for their LGBT peers.

For Younger Readers, By Younger Readers

Freddie Mercury

By: Dean Gervais

Tell us about your hero

Credit: MH

These films offer a variety of LGBT+ voices from young to old.

The Mayor of Castro Street: The Triumphs and Tragedies of Harvey Milk

Angela Kim

As a gay rights pioneer, Harvey Milk made history being the first openly gay elected official in California and one of the first in the country.

Interview with Georgia Bridgers (LGBTQ YouTuber)

Kitty Richardson

An interview with Georgia Bridgers, a YouTuber, on how she uses her channel to promote LGBT acceptance.

David Bowie: As Told by Ziggy

Katie Graubart, Animation by: Jessica Ordaz

David Bowie: As Told by Ziggy gives a history of the hero that was David Bowie.

Love Has No Labels

Produced by:Prod. The Ad Council / Dir. R/GA

The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, others and institutions.

The Toothmans

Hansen Bursic

Deb and Jim Toothman and their transgender daughter Cooper Toothman, talk about their struggles with acceptance both within their family and in the community.

Top 10 Important LGBTQ Movements In US History

Produced by:Jaimie Roussos

In honor of Pride month, this film looks at at the most important LGBTQ milestones in US History.

T(he)y

Caroline Callender & Silver Liftin

Each day, different people experience and view the world through entirely different lenses, based on those identities. Often, we forget that this is the case.

From AIDS to Advice: LGBTQ+ Seniors Tell Their Stories

Sophie Kim

Nine LGBTQ+ senior citizens share their experiences, including coming out stories, life during the HIV/AIDS crisis, and advice for LGBTQ+ youth, parents, and allies.

Call to Action

Listening can be a radical act. For LGBT+ Pride Month, the call to action is to listen and learn from the LGBT+ community.

Stories about LGBT+ Heroes

Lady Gaga (aka Stefani Joanne Germanotta)

By: Chase Cooper

Chase from San Diego writes about his hero Lady Gaga because of her humility: "She tells us that we cannot be self-centered in order to be truly successful.

Naya Rivera: Performer, Mother, Daughter, Friend, and Inspiration

By: Cara Jonas Delos Reyes

Naya Rivera was an actress who portrayed Santana Lopez on the TV show Glee and was a pioneer in Afro-Latinx and gay Latinx representation.

Alan Turing

By: Keegan Goodwin

Lili Elbe

By: Eren Knudsen

Lili Elbe was one of the first transgender women to receive sex reassignment surgery.

Ingrid Nilsen

By: Mia Islas

Rebecca Sugar

By: Rosemary Muraca

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

By: Robin Venter

Felix Gonzalez-Torres was a Cuban American visual artist whose work reflected the LGBT community and the AIDS epidemic.

Sasha Fleischman

By: Brian

Sasha Fleischman is an agender youth in Oakland, California, who was attacked by a stranger on the bus, which sparked a movement of support for Fleischman and others in the local LGBTQ+ community.

Ellen DeGeneres

By: Sylvie from Roseville

"I'm not an activist; I don't look for controversy. I'm not a political person, but I'm a person with compassion. I care passionately about equal rights. I care about human rights. I care about animal rights." -Ellen DeGeneres

Danica Roem

By: Kathryn Atwood

Danica Roem is the first transgender person elected official in the state of Virginia.

Freddie Mercury

By: Camellia from San Diego

Freddie Mercury was the memorable lead singer of the band Queen.

Helen Zia

By: Hannah from San Diego

Helen Zia is an Asian American journalist, scholar and activist for human rights.

MY HERO Contests

Credit: MH

Great for ESL students and the visually impaired!

Click on the Listen and Read Along icon in the following story so you can hear the audio as you read.

My Hero Suggested Viewing

Breaking the Code (1996). Run time: 1h30min

The BBC TV movie based on the stage play of Alan Turing's life.

Source:

Alan Turing

By: Edward Ortiz

Alan Turing was a brilliant British scientist and mathematician who laid the theoretical groundwork for the first computer.

Art Selections that illustrate LGBT+ heroes and the activism required to change our society for the better

Visibility, voice, and expression are a few ways artists amplify and support the LGBT+ community.

Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene

By: Simeon Solomon

Simeon Solomon was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire.

The Aperitif

By: Gerda Wegener

Gerda Marie Fredrikke Wegener was a Danish illustrator and painter. Wegener is known for her fashion illustrations and later her paintings that pushed the boundaries of gender and love of her time.