February marks LGBT+ History Month, a time of celebration and remembrance for the LGBT community. Find out more about its importance in this guest blog from LGBT+ Society.
For the LGBT+ Society, LGBT History Month is obviously an important time. Taking stock of the history of a community which has historically been marginalised to an unprecedented level helps us to focus our goals moving forwards, reminding us that despite the adversity that may have been faced, it can be overcome.
Cultural celebration
LGBT+ History Month is one of the most important cultural landmarks in the historical calendar. It provides a time and space for LGBT+ historical figures, events and cultures to be recognised when they have historically been removed from history through the heteronormativity of both the education system and the establishment. Yes, things are improving, and queer history is being recognised more and more, but there is still a long way to go, and this month does a lot to aid the cause. By making the month a well-recognised event you increase the chances of educating individuals and decreasing the stigma around queer culture as being only for queer people. Also, there is a lot to fix, the embargo on the teaching of LGBT+ culture and history by Section 28 lasted ten years and was only repealed in 2003. Section 28 made the topic of LGBT+ culture and history a major taboo in school, and the effects of this can still be seen today with little to no queer history being taught in school, even events that where major at the time in the UK such as the LGBT+ influence in the miners' strikes in 1984.
Furthermore, now that the UK is arguably more accepting of LGBT+ people, there is a certain atmosphere of shame surrounding queer history, as quite a lot of it is the persecution of the community. This month must be used to celebrate the strides we have made in LGBT+ rights, but it must also be used to acknowledge where we have come from and the issues we once faced. This means that the bad must be recognised alongside the good, to make sure that we continue to fight for what is right. While cis white gays might feel like they have what they need in terms of acceptance, many in the community still face horrific amounts of persecution, and it is our duty to support them just as they have supported us, and this month acts as a much needed reminder for many people that we would not be where we are today without the efforts of the entire community.
Therefore, it is crucial that events taking place this month recognise the continuing struggle of much of the community. Many LGBT+ History Month events ignore trans, non-binary and intersex people and key historical events that have affected them. As well as this, there is a huge amount of white washing in LGBT+ History Month, and in a community which has a massive issue with racism, it is fundamental that we highlight the history of people of colour in the LGBT+ community.
What's on?
We have a range of events coming up this month, and some even after the month as we struggled to fit them all in!
- Sat 2 Feb: LGBT+ Society Big Queer Brunch - Medicine
- Sun 3 Feb: LGBT+ Exhibition Archive - Emily Wilding Davidson Building
- Tues 5 Feb: Rainbow Lunch - SCR / The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act talk with Lib Dem Society - Bourne LT2
- Fri 8 Feb: Crafternoon: Remaking The Banner - Tommy’s Lounge
- Sat 9 Feb: Queer Interpretation of Shakespeare’s Work with Shakespeare Society
- Mon 11 Feb: The Laws Progression: An LGBTQ+ Perspective with Law Society - Bourne LT2
- Wed 13 Feb: Bohemian Rhapsody Film Screening - Arts LT1
- Fri 15 Feb: International LGBT+ Rights talk with Diplomatic Society
- Tues 19 Feb: Milk Film Screening - Founder's Lecture Theatre
- Mon 25 Feb: LGBT+ Representation in Video Games with Games Society
- Tues 26 Feb: The Evolution of LGBT+ Rights in the UK with PIR Society - Bourne LT2
- Wed 27 Feb: LGBT+ Culture in Ancient Civilisations talk with Classics Society - Bourne LT2
- Thu 28 Feb: The Pink Triangle: A Symbol Reclaimed with Jewish Society - Arts S021
We are also planning to host a film viewing of Moonlight with Women of Colour Collective, as well as organising a visit from Black Pride UK, a charity event for queer refugees with Refugee Society, as well as Zine making and the return of Queeries.
LGBT+ history is everyone's history
It is exceptionally important to have a wide range of events for LGBT+ History Month, not only to cater to the wide range of people within the community but also to educate those within the community about different parts of it and to educate allies beyond the typical LGBT+ History Month events.
Needless to say, the LGBT+ community is made up of a vast array of individuals with wildly different interests, which is why we have done our best to incorporate as many different societies as possible. While the idea of talking about LGBT+ representation in video games might seem trivial to some, to queer people that have grown up playing video games and have it make up a large part of their life, it could be a huge deal to see their sexuality or identity portrayed in video games. To show people that LGBT+ history is everyone’s history as it can be tied into virtually every walk of life.
Get involved
As a society we are always looking for new people to get involved in events. Everything from helping us organise events, to attending, to sharing and liking our posts online. All of these things help us out. We have society memberships available through the SU website. We update our members of our events through email and Facebook, and as well as this, members receive deals on entry prices for our paid for events.
Although we like to make the majority of our events free, buying a membership to help us run these events really goes a long way.
LGBT Society