LGBT+ people have been making incredible contributions to the UK for a long time. However, their stories have often been missing from the history books, which could give the impression that LGBT+ people have only come along in recent years which isn’t the case.
If you identify as LGBT+ you may struggle to find historical figures that you can relate to. This can lead to feelings of isolation and uncertainty about the future and what that could mean. However, the truth is that LGBT+ people have always been here, in every society and time period around the world.
LGBT+ History Month started in February 2005 UK. Paul Patrick and Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders are the founders.
Since then, the movement has grown with more and more each year. Paul and Sue are also the founders of schools out UK. Schools out UK is an education charity that works to make schools and education institutions safe spaces for LGBT+ communities as teachers, lecturers, and trainers, students, and pupils or many of the other learning support staff roles.
As the movement has grown, more schools are taking part every year! It has now expanded beyond schools with people from all walks of life marking the month in their own way. This is now seen as an event for everyone to learn, reflect and expand their horizons.
The Proud Trust have a project called “people like me”. Here you can discover stories of LGBT+ people in sport, films, music, literature, politics, and more. It also gives an opportunity to find out more about some members of the LGBT+ community including books, films and TV where LGBT+ people are represented.
Every year LGBT+ History Month has a theme and the theme for this year is:
Medicine #underthescope
It is an opportunity to explore the contribution of LGBT+ people to advances in medical science. Also, this a time to reflect on the community’s relationship with the world of medicine. Exploring the history of the AIDS crisis, treatment of trans people, and LGBT+ people's contributions to the NHS. It is a chance to showcase the amazing work of LGBT+ staff across the NHS and in other settings providing healthcare, especially during the pandemic.
The history of LGBT+ experiences with healthcare has been extremely complex, leaving LGBT+ people facing health inequalities even today.
LGBT+ History Month and Pride Month are not the same thing.
It's Pride month in June, when the community gets together to celebrate and support LBGT+ causes, usually at festivals and events.
The Pride movement was born after the Stonewall riots of 1969 and the early gay liberation movement. As such its inception has had a strong political drive. Pride month is different because it usually focuses on the present and the future, rather than LGBT+ History Month which focuses on the past.
If you would like further information or resources for LGBT+ History month, click here:
