Tool "Guess Who?"

Language: English

Project Featuring This Tool: Rainbow Resources

Themes:Gender and Sexuality Inclusion and Equality

By guessing sex, gender and sexuality of different people, this activity challenges perceptions of gender and sexuality and introduces the concepts of gender and sexuality.

Time 45-60 minutes
Approximate number of participants Up to 20
Age 10-15
Date published 9 Dec 2011, 12:46

Objectives

To challenge stereotypes of what people look like</p.

To explore the concepts of gender, sex and sexuality

Materials

Cards of faces (see Appendix II)
Signs with ‘Man’, ‘Woman,’ ‘Straight’ and ‘Gay/ Lesbian’ written on them
String/ masking tape to mark areas on the ground
Flipchart paper and marker

Setting

Mark a cross on the floor putting the cards ‘man’ and ‘woman’ on either end of one line and then ‘gay/lesbian’ and ‘straight’ at either end of the other line.

Copy and cut out the cards of faces. If you wish double their size on a photocopier.

Write the definitions of sex, gender and sexuality on a flipchart.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Ask the group what they know about ‘gender’. Record their answers on a piece of flipchart paper. Ask them if they know any difference between sex and gender. Then reveal and explain the definitions in your own words.

SEX: The biological organs and genes that someone has that usually make someone male or female. About 1% of people are ’intersex,’ which means that they may have organs or genes of both male and female.

GENDER: The social roles and norms that are often attributed to someone’s bio­logical sex, but are socially created. Gender is often divided into ‘men’ and ‘women’ but, just like sex, gender does include other categories. Gender is both about how you feel, how you see yourself and how others see you.

2. Ask the group what they know about ‘sexuality’ and write the answers down on a piece of flipchart paper and then reveal the definition:

SEXUALITY: The attraction that people have to other people. People who are attracted to people of the opposite gender are often called ‘straight’ or heterosexual, while people who are attracted to people of the same gender are often called ‘gay/ lesbian’ or homosexual. People who are attracted to both genders are often called bisexual. Sexuality is often about both whom someone is sexually attracted to and the identity that they adopt.

3. Divide the cards between the children in the group. Tell them that these are real people and ask them to place them on the matrix of male/ female and gay/ straight.

Debriefing

Was it harder to place the gender or the sexuality by looking?

What did you assume by looking at the photos?

Why did you make those assumptions?

How do you feel about making these assumptions?

Read out the answers (appendix I) and change the positioning of the cards accordingly.

Did you get some wrong?

Were you shocked by any of the answers?

What does this indicate about making assumptions regarding people’s sexuality and gender? Can you make assumptions?

What are the problems with assuming that someone is a particular gender or has a particular sexuality?

Tips

If you are unsure about any of the terms used, look them up before the activity in the glossary on p.83.

You can find the appendixes in the attach file

Attached files