LGBTQ+ Acceptance: Are We Giving LGBTQ+ People Room to Grow?
A 60-minute session on how much room we really make for LGBTQ+ people in our families, friendships, offices and streets. Do we let them work out who they are, be ordinary, make mistakes and take their time, and do we give ourselves the same room to learn? Twelve independent cards; open three or four.
The opening question
Growing up, how did people in your home talk about gay or transgender people: never, as a joke, in whispers, or openly?
Everyone in the room answers this in one line before any card is opened. Write the answers down; you will come back to them.
The cards
12 ways into the topic
Each card is independent. Your group votes on which to open, and four or five is plenty for an hour. Behind every card sit three prompts, one at a time, that only appear once it is opened on the board. Unopened cards keep for next time.
- 1
Giving Parents Time To Adjust
Your friend finally tells his parents he's gay. His mother cries for a week. His father stops talking to him. They say, “Give us time.”
- 2
Why Nobody Needs To Come Out
In defence of the family that never says it out loud.
- 3
Marrying To Keep Family Happy
He's 31. At every family function, someone asks when the wedding is. He knows he can never love a wife the way she deserves.
- 4
Gay Jokes Among Friends
Your friends are laughing in the group chat. Someone calls a guy “so gay” because he ordered a pink drink. Everyone sends laughing emojis. You do too.
- 5
Men Holding Hands
Two men walk down the street holding hands. Your grandfather did this with his friends his whole life. Today, someone nearby whispers and giggles.
- 6
Couples Showing Affection In Public
Two women sit close in a café, holding hands. People at the next table go quiet and look away.
- 7
Pride Month At The Office
In June, your company's logo turns rainbow. There's a talk and free cupcakes. In July, the logo goes back to normal and nobody mentions it again.
- 8
Explaining It To Children
You're watching a show with your eight-year-old. Two men on screen are holding hands. Your child turns to you and asks, “Are they married?”
- 9
Scared Of Saying The Wrong Thing
A new colleague mentions their partner, and you're not sure if it's a man or a woman. You want to ask. You're scared of getting it wrong.
- 10
Saying It's Just A Phase
Your niece is sixteen. She tells the family she likes girls. Her aunt smiles and says, “Don't worry, it's just a phase.”
- 11
Being The Perfect Child
He topped his class, got the good job, and sends money home every month.
- 12
Transgender People At Traffic Lights
Your car stops at a red light. A transgender woman knocks on the window, claps, and asks for money.
The line to leave with
Who in your life is still waiting for you to make room for them, and whose room are you still waiting for?
More boards,more ways in.
Every discussion we have run has a board behind it. Browse them by topic.