Gender diversity recap What is gender diversity? What do you remember from the last lesson? Can you remember what trans, cis and non-binary mean?

Gender diversity in History The expectation about gender (what is expected of boys and girls) has changed over time and there have always been people who have challenged the expectations. Did you know? Until the 1940’s and 50’s pink was seen as a boys colour and blue was seen as ‘girly’. High heels were originally invented in the 10th century for men to help them keep their feet in the stirrups when riding horses. (This is why cowboy boots have heels!)

Gender diversity 1300 – 1900’s There is lots of evidence of people through out history living as women or as men, despite being assigned a different gender at birth. Many kept this a secret. Some of these people, however, were often subject to bullying and discrimination. Why do you think some people kept the gender they had been assigned a secret? What reasons might a person have for living as a different gender? Why do you think people were unkind to those who were gender diverse?

Gender diversity 1900 - 1950 At certain times in history it was even made illegal to cross-dress and there are cases of gender diverse people who were arrested. More people were moving to the towns and cities to live and work and this sparked new fears about strangers and outsiders. People were suspicious of people who were diverse for lots of reasons and as a result more attention was focused on gender diverse people as well. It was common at this time for gender diverse people to be reported in the media to meet the growing interest that people had in gender diverse people. They didn’t understand (No outsiders language used to explain about why people do things like discriminate / terrorist attacks etc.) Why do you think many people kept their assigned gender a secret? Why do you think it was illegal? How do you think gender diverse people felt?

Gender diversity 1900 - 1950 This was a time of many changes! Women were not allowed to vote so the Suffragettes protested against this. They pushed for women to have the same rights as men and they succeeded! The role of women in World War 1 and 2 also saw a change with women being expected to take on jobs out of the home and into the factories as the men were away fighting. Wearing trousers and overalls became more practical in these roles and after the war many women fought against having to go back to wearing only dresses and not being allowed to work. Do you think these gender expectations would have changed if people hadn’t fought for them? How have these changes influenced gender roles today?

Gender diversity 1960 - 2000 In the 1970’s the term “transgender” became more widely used to describe a more diverse range of people who expressed or identified their gender differently from how society expected them to be. Transgender people started to find each other and formed groups. These provided support to each other as well as to fight against the discrimination they were facing. The media still shared stories about transgender people, however while some were negative some were more positive. The invention of the internet also helped to spread information for those who needed it. Do you think it was just transgender people who fought against inequalities? Who’s job is it to fight against inequalities? Why might transgender people want to meet other transgender people?

Gender diversity 1960 - 2000 Lots of famous people in the music industry were pushing the boundaries of gender expectations. Fashion trends caught on to the fact that people were more willing to not keep with traditional stereotypes and it became more acceptable for people to have fun with their gender expression. How do you think these changes have impacted on the way we can express our gender today? What do you think stops people from breaking away from traditional gender expectations? What still needs to change?

Gender diversity 2000’s - 2019 The word trans is now a term used by gender diverse people. It is important to use the word cis or cisgender is used as well to avoid labeling people who are not gender diverse as “normal”. The word non-binary is also used to describe those who do not identity as a woman or a man. As trans and gender diverse people have won more rights and become more accepted into society there has been an increase in positive visibility including events to celebrate trans and gender diverse people. However, there is still a lot of activism to try to educate the wider population and get rid of the inequalities still faced by trans and gender diverse people. Why is it important to educate people about trans people?

Gender diversity 2000’s - 2019 Gender roles are continuing to change… What do you think is expected of boys now? What do you think is expected of girls now? What things have got better? What still needs to change?

On your table are some historical information cards On your table are some historical information cards. In your groups read them carefully and then go and stick them on the correct time period

Reflection One thing you learnt from today’s session One thing you enjoyed from today’s session Any questions about what we have talked about?