WHAT IS LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH?
LGBTQ+ History Month is a month-long annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual trans, and non-binary history, including the history of LGBTQ+ rights and related civil rights movements.

WHO CELEBRATES LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH?
As of 2020, LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated in Hungary, the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Greenland, and the city of Berlin.

WHEN DO WE CELEBRATE LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH?
In the United Kingdom it is celebrated in February each year, to coincide with the 2003 abolition of Section 28. In the United States, Canada, and Australia it is celebrated in October.

HOW DID LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH START IN THE UK?
It was initiated in the UK by Schools Out UK, which is an education charity that began life as The Gay Teachers Association in 1974.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH?
The celebration was launched in February 2005.

WHAT DOES LQBTQ STAND FOR?

Lesbian: a woman who is attracted to other women  

Gay: a man who is attracted to other men or broadly people who identify as homosexual  

Bisexual: a person who is attracted to both men and women  

Transgender: a person whose gender identity is different from the sex the doctor put down on their birth certificate 

Queer: originally used as a hate term, some people want to reclaim the word, while others find it offensive. It can be a political statement, suggest that someone doesn't want to identify with "binaries" (e.g. male v female, homosexual v heterosexual) or that they don't want to label themselves only by their sexual activity 

OR 

Questioning: a person who is still exploring their sexuality or gender identity 

WHAT DOES THE ‘+’ STAND FOR?

Intersex: a person whose body is not definitively male or female. This may be because they have chromosomes which are not XX or XY or because their genitals or reproductive organs are not considered "standard" 

Allies: a person who identifies as straight but supports people in the LGBTQQIAAP community 

Asexual: a person who is not attracted in a sexual way to people of any gender 

Pansexual: a person whose sexual attraction is not based on gender and may themselves be fluid when it comes to gender or sexual identity  

WHAT DO THE FLAGS REPRESENT?

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN LGBTQ+ HISTORY?

28th June 1969 – The Stonewall Riots 

13th October 1970 – Gay Liberation Front Founded 

1st July 1972 – First UK Gay Pride March 

2001 – UK Government lifts ban on lesbians, gays and bisexual people serving in armed forces 

2001 – The age of consent for gay/bi men lowered to 16 

2002 – Equal rights for adoption to same-sex couples 

2003 – Repeal of Section 28 

4th April 2005 – Gender Recognition Act came into effect 

5th December 2005 – Civil Partnership Act comes into effect 

2010 – Equality Act created 

17th July 2013 – Marriage (Same-sex couples) act created 

2017 – Alan Turing Law 

WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY?
Click on the organisations below to find support available in the local area and further afield.

Young Glos
Gay Glos
The Gloucestershire Gay & Lesbian Community (GGLC)
TransUnite
FFLAG

BEFORE YOU GO
We’re going to finish this blog with a video from History Teacher, Mr Thorpe. In this video, you’ll learn about:

• Diverse sexualities and gender identities in pre-colonial societies

• The outbreak of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the 1980s

• Ballroom culture