There are biases and discriminations in relation to gender identity and
sexual orientation issues in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom,
either through outdated and sexist materials or even teacher discourse and beliefs,
as, according to several studies, teachers unconsciously transmit their negative
attitudes and stereotypes to their students. As it has been proven by different studies,
conducting training for teachers and future teachers with respect to non-normative
sexual orientations and gender identities brings positive results. Thus, this paper
proposes a pilot classroom intervention designed to train pre-service teachers of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) from the Bachelor’s degree in Education
Studies and the Master’s degree in Teaching Secondary School, enrolled at the
University of Burgos, Spain, during the academic year 2020-2021. The results of the
intervention reveal the necessity of raising future teachers’ awareness on the different non-normative sexual orientations and gender identities, in order to create
more inclusive classes for all students and teachers.
