LGBTQ+ Education Resources for Inclusive Learning
Tools, observances, and guidance to support thoughtful programming
📅 Plan Seasonal Programs 🏳️🌈
📅 Plan Seasonal Programs 🏳️🌈
Now is always the time to celebrate LGBTQ+ people!
You can use heritage months and awareness observances to plan events that connect the present with the past using seasonal cycles.
Interactive History Installations
Explore a curated collection of our past work creating field-tested installations that engage audiences directly, create experiences that are personal, memorable, and grounded in public history and community life.
Pages in Someone Else’s Survival Guide
What Made You
Pride & Prejudice
Event Planner, Educator, & Librarian Tools
We provide discussion questions and learning objectives aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy for each exhibit. Whether you hope to scaffold with foundational knowledge or higher-order critical analysis, these resources provide a template to engage students, meet standards, justify the inclusion of LGBTQ+ history in your syllabus, and spark meaningful conversations about justice, science, and global cultures.
Printables
Provide your audience—students, patrons, coworkers, or guests—with a memento of the experience.
For that personal touch, with your rental we can co-brand these designs for you to print.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Most exhibits consist of seven to eleven retractable banners. Plan approximately three linear feet per banner for comfortable viewing.
-
Most engagements run for approximately three weeks, although longer engagements can often be accommodated. We work with hosts to determine a display period that fits their event, programming calendar, and audience.
-
Yes. Expanding Horizons exhibits are designed for nationwide shipping. We coordinate the exhibit's outbound and return shipping with the host as part of the booking process.
-
Expanding Horizons handles the exhibit preparation and shipping. Hosts provide an appropriate display space, receive the exhibit, set up and take down the banners, and arrange for return shipping. Exhibits require no electrical power and can typically be assembled in about 30 minutes.
For complete hosting and rental information, visit our Host an Exhibit page.
-
Absolutely. An exhibit can stand on its own or become part of a larger learning experience. Hosts can pair an exhibit with a keynote, lecture, workshop, facilitated discussion, or other educational program led by Vince Tripi.
-
Yes. Exhibits can complement Pride Month, LGBT History Month, Women's History Month, Black History Month, Disability Pride Month, STEM programming, and other heritage, awareness, and interdisciplinary initiatives. The subject of the exhibit does not have to match the observance exactly; many hosts use these occasions as an opportunity to explore a broader historical theme.
-
Yes. Exhibits are designed for broad public audiences and are used in secondary and higher education settings, academic libraries, schools, and other learning environments. Some exhibits are particularly well suited to specific age groups or academic contexts, and we can help identify appropriate options.
-
Earlier is better, particularly for Pride Month, LGBT History Month, major conferences, and other high-demand periods. We recommend contacting us as soon as you know your preferred dates so we can confirm availability and allow adequate time for shipping.
-
Yes. Exhibits can become part of the physical learning environment of a conference, convention, symposium, or professional gathering. They can remain available throughout an event and give attendees another way to engage with LGBTQ+ history between scheduled sessions.
-
Start with your audience, the purpose of the engagement, and the historical themes you want to explore. Expanding Horizons offers exhibits with different subjects, scopes, and levels of research and development. If you are unsure which exhibit is the best fit, we can help you identify options during a discovery conversation.
Why Inclusive History Matters: The Power of LGBTQ+ Representation
Presenting LGBTQ+ history is more than an archival project; it is a vital tool for community resilience. By documenting these narratives, Expanding Horizons helps organizations foster environments where every individual feels seen and valued.
Advancing Community Education
Formal curricula often overlook the diverse milestones of LGBTQ+ history. Community-based organizations serve as essential educators, filling these systemic gaps with comprehensive resources on global queer culture. This proactive education dismantles misinformation and builds a more informed, empathetic public.
Cultivating a Culture of Belonging
Inclusive history is a bridge to belonging. When we celebrate our shared humanity through the lens of diverse experiences, we improve the social climate of our institutions. Recognizing past contributions from the LGBTQ+ community validates the presence of its members today, fostering a deeper sense of security and psychological safety.
Strengthening Strategic Partnerships
History acts as a common ground for collaboration. By highlighting inclusive narratives, organizations can more effectively engage with community partners to share resources and co-create future initiatives. These alliances expand your reach and ensure that historical preservation is a collective, sustainable effort.
Impactful Community Outreach
Coordinated programming rooted in authentic history serves as a beacon for outreach. Utilizing LGBTQ+ historical milestones in your public activities demonstrates a genuine commitment to diversity. This transparency builds trust with the public and stakeholders, increasing engagement with your organization’s broader mission.
Preparing for Your Exhibit
Hosting an LGBTQ+ history exhibit is an opportunity to create a thoughtful, welcoming learning environment. A little preparation before the exhibit arrives can help your staff feel confident, give visitors useful context, and ensure that your organization is ready to respond appropriately to questions or concerns.
Start with your existing policies
Before the exhibit arrives, review the policies your organization already uses for public programs, exhibits, employee conduct, harassment, disruption, and use of shared spaces. Establish in advance who is responsible for responding to concerns and what circumstances require escalation.
Clear expectations give staff a consistent framework for responding to questions or disruptive behavior.
Prepare the people who will interact with your audience
Frontline staff, educators, volunteers, security personnel, and other employees may be the first people approached with questions about the exhibit. Make sure they know:
Why your organization is hosting the exhibit
Who can answer substantive questions about its historical content
How to respond when they do not know an answer
What your organization's conduct policies require
When and how to escalate a concern
Staff do not need to become experts in LGBTQ+ history. They need to understand the purpose of the exhibit and know how to respond appropriately within their role.
Give your audience context
A short introduction can help visitors understand why the exhibit is being presented and how it connects to your organization's educational or community mission. Consider providing information about related programs, discussion opportunities, or additional resources.
Context can also help staff respond consistently when visitors ask why your organization chose to host the exhibit.
Distinguish disagreement from disruption
People may encounter historical information that challenges their assumptions or perspectives. That alone does not constitute a disruption.
Hosts should apply their existing conduct and facility policies consistently. Harassment, threats, vandalism, targeted disruption, or other prohibited behavior should be addressed according to those policies rather than debated on the exhibit floor.
Know where to turn for additional guidance
Expanding Horizons can help hosts think through exhibit logistics, audience engagement, educational framing, and questions that may arise around the historical content. We can also point hosts toward established resources on responding to censorship, hateful conduct, and challenges to educational programming.
Your organization remains responsible for its own policies, legal obligations, security procedures, and decisions about how to respond to specific incidents.
Recommended resources
Hateful Conduct in Libraries (American Library Association)
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (American Alliance of Museums)
Your organization's own policies governing conduct, harassment, disruption, and public programs
The goal is preparation, not apprehension. A thoughtful plan allows your staff to focus on what the exhibit is there to do: create an opportunity for people to encounter history, ask questions, and learn.