Queering the Classics classroom: a six-week curriculum framework for teaching gender and sexuality through myth

Responding to concerns that weak curricular and institutional authorisation can leave LGBTQIA+ inclusion dependent on individual teacher initiative, this article examines how LGBTQIA+ inclusion can be meaningfully integrated into the Classics classroom through the lens of Global Citizenship Education (GCED). Drawing on ancient texts by Homer, Ovid, and Sappho, alongside modern receptions such as Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles , the article proposes a structured six-week curriculum framework for early secondary education (e.g., KS3 Classical Civilisation). The framework is presented as a practical curriculum design that teachers can adapt to different classroom contexts. By bridging classical literature with traditions of classical reception, the module provides a structured pedagogical infrastructure for discussing gender and sexuality. Drawing on a critical-GCED orientation, it uses historically grounded Classical inquiry as a basis for dialogue and applied inquiry on questions of norms, power, identity, cultural difference, and social justice, including opportunities for action-oriented work where appropriate. Weekly objectives, Jigsaw text analysis, and Socratic seminars translate this approach into concrete classroom practice.