LGBT HISTORY MONTH
Graphics by Abena Akuffo-Kelly – Teacher and Councillor.
Words kindly contributed by Dean Fudge – Educator.
February is LGBTQ+ History Month:
But do we need such a thing? After all, there is increased queer representation in politics, the media even in the sports arena, surely the need for a history month is redundant. As Tom Robinson sang in his 1978 song, (Sing if you’re) Glad to be Gay, ‘The buggers are legal now, what more are they after?’ So why do we need a LGBT History Month?
Because…
- There are still 73 countries in the world whose queer citizens face legal discrimination.
- Just last week two men in Indonesia were subjected to the torture of a public caning because of their sexuality; dozens of people witnessed it.
- The road to queer rights in the UK was hard won, and the battle is not over.
- Erasure (not the band) means that queer histories are missing from the books and these stories should be told.
- LGBTQ+ children deserve to see themselves reflected in the curriculum they are taught.
- Queer history teaches people how the world can change and how it can be changed.
- Queer history is still being made.
- LGBTQ+ History is for all of us. It gives us opportunity to learn about heroes who we don’t yet know about, and to honour those heroes of their time who were remarkable just by their existence.
