Homosexuals in Croatia have taken a big step to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society towards homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide appeal. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in leading newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described whether they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read:  “I don’t want to hide any more. Little divides us and a lot unites us. Reconsider your prejudice.”

Homosexuals face a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a sin. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is so strong that the signatories did not risk putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a leading Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good reflection that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more tolerant.”

WARM-UPS

1. SEX CHANGE: Is it better to be a man or a woman? Imagine you are now a member of the opposite sex. Ask your “changed sex” partner(s) what it is like to be different. Ask them questions about life as a man or woman (favorite perfume, hobbies, what kind of dates they like, etc.).

2. HOMOPHOBIA: Are you homophobic? In pairs / groups, talk about how you would feel if the following people were gay:

Your English teacher Your boss Your swimming teacher Your best friend

Your neighbor Your doctor Your roommate on a camping trip Your child

3. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words are most interesting and which are most boring.

Homosexuals / Croatia / big steps / gays / lesbians / hiding / divisions / prejudice / Catholic Church / hate crimes / coming out / BBC News / tolerance

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

4. GAY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word “gay”. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

5. OPINIONS: In pairs / groups, talk about what you think of these opinions towards homosexuality:

1. Homosexuality is a sin. It says so in the Bible.
2. Homosexuals are normal people – the same as heterosexuals.
3. Society should be tolerant so homosexuals can live freely.
4. Homosexuals should have the same rights as everyone else.
5. I don’t want to talk about homosexuality. It makes me feel bad.
6. I don’t understand why the word “homosexual” has a negative image.
7. Let them kiss and hold hands in the streets. It’s a free world.
8. Homophobia is the real illness.
9. The world should thank homosexuals for encouraging tolerance.
10. Your opinion __________________________________________________.

6. WORDS: Talk with your partner(s) about the meaning of the following words:

gay      lesbian     straight     homosexual     queer     transvestite     bisexual     transsexual     come out of the closet     gay parade     homophobia     gay bashing

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	Gays in Croatia want their country to accept them.	T / F
b.	1,200 gays stood outside Croatia’s government building for 24 hours.	T / F
c.	1,200 gays wrote letters asking for greater acceptance by society.	T / F
d.	1,200 gays asked Croatians to reconsider their prejudices.	T / F
e.	The Catholic Church accepts homosexuality.	T / F
f.	Many Croatian gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes.	T / F
g.	The homosexuals put their surnames and addresses in the newspaper.	T / F
h.	Croatia’s gays are gathering courage to come out of the closet.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	accept	request
b.	intolerance	token
c.	appeal	suffer
d.	unites	wrongdoing
e.	prejudice	joins
f.	face	great
g.	sin	live with
h.	strong	reveal
i.	symbolic	prejudice
j.	expose	intolerance

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.	taken a big	appeal
b.	intolerance in Croatian society	and magazines
c.	made a nationwide	out
d.	leading newspapers	discrimination
e.	Little divides us and a lot	towards homosexuality
f.	face a lot of	is a sin
g.	the Church says homosexuality	step
h.	the target of	more tolerant
i.	coming	unites us
j.	society is growing	hate crimes

AFTER READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words in the column on the right into the gaps in the text.

Croatian homosexuals make a stand

Homosexuals in Croatia have taken a big ________ to make their country accept them. Despite ________ intolerance in Croatian society towards homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and ________ have made a nationwide ________. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in ________ newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the ________ “G” or “L”, which described whether they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read:  “I don’t want to ________ any more. Little divides us and a lot ________ us. Reconsider your prejudice.”		letter great unites lesbians step hide leading appeal
Homosexuals ________ a lot of ________ in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a sin. Many gays and lesbians have been the ________ of hate crimes. The ________ in Croatia is so strong that the signatories did not ________ putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, ________ of a leading Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good reflection that gays in Croatia are gathering ________ to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more ________.”		head tolerant discrimination prejudice courage face risk target

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘gay’ and ‘group’.

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the gap fill. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. STUDENT “GAY” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about homosexuality.

• Ask other classmates your questions and note down their answers.
• Go back to your original partner / group and compare your findings.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

step intolerance appeal letter message reconsider

face sin target risk coming out tolerant

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
2. Do you think putting names in the newspapers will make Croatia more tolerant towards homosexuals?
3. Do you have any gay family and friends?
4. What do you think of homosexuality?
5. Why do you think the Catholic Church says homosexuality is a sin?
6. Do you think it’s fair that homosexuals have to hide?
7. Do you think homophobia should become a crime?
8. What do you think of same sex couples getting married and having children?
9. Do you think it’s OK for homosexuals to kiss in public?
10. What do you think of transvestites and transsexuals?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1. Did you like reading this article?
2. What do you think about what you read?
3. What would you think if your son or daughter told you he/she was homosexual?
4. What would you do if a homosexual person asked you for a date?
5. What do you think of the words “homosexual”, “lesbian” and “gay”?
6. What do people think about homosexuality in your country?
7. Do you have different opinions on male and female homosexuality?
8. Perhaps 10 percent of people are homosexual. What do you think about this?
9. Would you vote for a homosexual to be the leader of your country?
10. Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

1. What question would you like to ask about this topic?
2. What was the most interesting thing you heard?
3. Was there a question you didn’t like?
4. Was there something you totally disagreed with?
5. What did you like talking about?
6. Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?
7. Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

HOMOPHOBIC ROLE PLAY: Should homophobia be a crime?
Team up with classmates who have the same role as you. Develop your roles and discuss ideas and “strategies” before the role play begins.

Introduce yourself to the other role players.

Role A – CATHOLIC CHURCH LEADER Homosexuality is a sin. That is God’s word. You strongly believe homosexuals should talk to God and apologize for their sins. You want homosexuals to follow a heterosexual, normal life. You believe homophobia does not exist because homosexuality is a sin. THINK OF REASONS WHY HOMOPHOBIA IS NOT A CRIME.

Role B – A CLOSET HOMOSEXUAL You do not understand the world. You are a totally normal person. You want to live a normal life. You and your same sex partner must hide in fear every day. You cannot do the “normal” things other couples do. People calling you names has made your life miserable. THINK OF REASONS WHY HOMOPHOBIA SHOULD BE A SERIOUS CRIME.

Role C – A GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST You are angry that in the 21st century there is still prejudice against gays. Religious leaders teach tolerance but they have none towards homosexuals. There are many gay priests!!! Society should never accept discrimination against gays. THINK OF REASONS WHY HOMOPHOBIA IS A SERIOUS CRIME.

Role D – A HOMOPHOBIC PERSON You think homosexuals are unnatural and dangerous. You disagree with the idea that people can have sex changes, can get married and even have children. You think this will lead to the breakdown of society. Everyone should be normal – like you. THINK OF MORE REASONS WHY HOMOSEXUALITY IS “WRONG”.

Change roles and repeat the role play. Comment in groups about the differences between the two role plays.

Decide what can be done to increase society’s tolerance for and acceptance of homosexuality.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Croatian homosexuals make a stand

Homosexuals in Croatia have taken a ____ ______ to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society __________ homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide __________. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in __________ newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described __________ they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read:  “I don’t want to hide any more. Little __________ us and a lot __________ us. Reconsider your prejudice.”

Homosexuals __________ a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a ____. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is ___ _________ that the signatories did not ______ putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a __________ Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good ____________ that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more ____________.”

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information on gay rights. Visit the Human Rights Campaign site (http://www.hrc.org/), which works for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. TAKING A STAND: Have you ever stood up for your rights or stood up to someone who was trying to take away your rights. Write a story about a time this happened. Read your stories to your classmates in your next lesson. Did you all have similar experiences?

4. LETTER: Write a letter to the organizer of the group that put the advertisements in the Croatian newspapers. Tell him / her what you think of the brave actions of people having the courage to stand up for themselves. Give them suggestions of other things they can do to make society more accepting. Show your letters to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all write about similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a. T

b. F

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

g. F

h. T

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	accept	live with
b.	intolerance	prejudice
c.	appeal	request
d.	unites	joins
e.	prejudice	intolerance
f.	face	suffer
g.	sin	wrongdoing
h.	strong	great
i.	symbolic	token
j.	expose	reveal

PHRASE MATCH:
 

a.	taken a big	step
b.	intolerance in Croatian society	towards homosexuality
c.	made a nationwide	appeal
d.	leading newspapers	and magazines
e.	Little divides us and a lot	unites us
f.	face a lot of	discrimination
g.	the Church says homosexuality	is a sin
h.	the target of	hate crimes
i.	coming	out
j.	society is growing	more tolerant

GAP FILL:

Croatian homosexuals make a stand

Homosexuals in Croatia have taken a big step to make their country accept them. Despite great intolerance in Croatian society towards homosexuality, about 1,200 of the nation’s gay men and lesbians have made a nationwide appeal. They published their names in an advertisement that was placed in leading newspapers and magazines. Next to each name was the letter “G” or “L”, which described whether they are gay or lesbian. A message next to the list read:  “I don’t want to hide any more. Little divides us and a lot unites us. Reconsider your prejudice.”

Homosexuals face a lot of discrimination in Croatia. About 90 percent of people are Catholics and the Church says homosexuality is a sin. Many gays and lesbians have been the target of hate crimes. The prejudice in Croatia is so strong that the signatories did not risk putting their surnames in the newspapers. Dorino Manzin, head of a leading Croatian gay group, told the BBC News: “Even though it's just a symbolic coming out, without full names, this is a good reflection that gays in Croatia are gathering courage to fully expose themselves and that society is growing more tolerant.”

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