LGBT History Month

why is LGBTQ+ history month important?

to remember

There are still 73 jurisdictions in the world that criminalise "private, consensual, same-sex sexual activity", according to Human Dignity Trust. 331 trans and gender diverse people were murdered in 2019, according to group Transrespect. We need to keep fighting for equal rights and holding events that teach people about LGBTQ+ issues can help.

how we got rights

Being homosexual was decriminalised in the UK in 1967, recent enough to still be in the minds of many citizens.The fight to get there was gruelling, and the path to full equality since then has been slow.Cambridge’s hero mathematician Alan Turing was chemically castrated for being gay- this was a legal method to stop what the government saw as immoral behaviour.

the hidden histories

LGBTQ+ identities have existed as long as humans have, but history books tend to either barely mention, completely ignore or deliberately erase LGBTQ+ people’s existence and contributions.Many of us may remember learning about war poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon- but how many teachers mentioned their homosexuality?

change the world

The gay rights movement teaches people the generosity and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the ability to stand up and achieve what they believe in. Their protests will inform how to make change happen in the movements of today. They deserve to go down in history not just for being jailed or murdered for their own battles, but also for their solidarity with other causes too.

how far we've come

Even within the last 30 years the social acceptability of being outwardly gay, bi, trans, intersex or gender-non-conforming has changed hugely.Remember when Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender back in 2015 and how the media exploded? Now there are transgender people not just out, but celebrated in mainstream culture.

equality for all

Ultimately LGBTQ+ is a month to pay homage to those who paved the way to equal rights and the countless numbers who were erased, ignored and discriminated against because of their identity. Is there a young person in a class who needs inspiring? LGBTQ+ history month can do that, by exposing the heroes we never knew existed, who were heroes of their time just for existing.