Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month
4 Feb
This week sees the start of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month. In this guest post, Tom Reaney (Alumni Information Officer and member of SIGNAL! – Sheffield Hallam University’s LGBT staff network) tells us about the background to the month and looks at what’s going on on campus and in the city to celebrate it.
LGBT History Month provides a perfect opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the achievements of LGBT+ people, honour key milestones and turning points in LGBT+ history, and recognise the hard fought and won battles for LGBT+ rights and equality across the world – many still ongoing.
Why is LGBT History Month important?
Led in the UK by charity Schools OUT, LGBT History Month has a dedicated theme each year – this year, the theme is Religion, Belief and Philosophy. This is a particularly prominent theme given that strongly held religious beliefs, interpretations of religious texts and the influences of key religious figureheads have all historically led to negative, discriminatory, dismissive and violent attitudes towards LGBT+ people globally. This tension is still very much a concern today, with the Anglican Church’s punishment of more liberal, accepting churches, people in the US such as Kim Davis making headlines for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and the ongoing ‘gay cake’ bakery row.
However these issues seem pale when compared to the treatment of LGBT+ people in countries that aren’t the UK or America. In 2015, an updated report released by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights entitled “Discrimination and Violence against Individuals Based on their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” highlighted the shocking statistics on LGBT+ hate crimes, and drew attention to the fact that LGBT+ people are often targets for religious extremists.
So what do we do?
History Month gives LGBT+ people and allies the opportunity to counter negative perceptions and stereotypes by celebrating and shining the spotlight on achievements by LGBT+ people, as well as celebrating stories from everyday LGBT+ lives.
The Inner Temple Library in London have produced a fantastic LGBT legal milestone timeline, along with supporting information.
UK LGBT charity Stonewall is currently profiling LGBT+ people of faith on their website, as well as showcasing Christian LGBT+ role models in their latest publication, also viewable online.
Sheffield also has a support group for Christian LGBT+ people, which meets twice per month for socials, speakers, discussions, bible study and prayer. The Hidden Perspectives project at The University of Sheffield has been looking at LGBT+ and faith through thought-provoking and engaging events and discussions since 2013, and continues with a research symposium this month titled ‘Orange is the New Bible’.
What’s happening? How can I join in?
There are a great varied number of events and activities going on in Sheffield and on campus to celebrate the month – see what’s coming up by viewing the full programme as it stands here
Keep your eyes on SIGNAL! and Hallam LGBT+ links below for more up to date information on events taking place, as well as other informative posts and discussions around History Month – join in the conversations!
If you have any feedback, want to ask a question or wish to find out anything more not covered here, please email us at lgbt@shu.ac.uk
Tom Reaney – Alumni Information Officer and SIGNAL! member
LINKS
LGBT History Month
Web – http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/
Twitter – @LGBTHM
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LGBTHistoryMonth/
SIGNAL! – Sheffield Hallam University’s LGBT+ Staff Network
Twitter – @SHU_Signal_LGBT
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SignalatSHU
Hallam LGBT+ – Sheffield Hallam University’s student liberation group
Web – http://lgbtsh.weebly.com/
Twitter – @lgbthallam
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SHUSULGBT
Facebook (History Month) – https://www.facebook.com/Hallam-LGBT-History-Month-902045786539511
Same Love – Sheffield LGBT+ Christian Support Group
Email – sameloveorg@yahoo.co.uk
Hidden Perspectives
Web – http://hiddenperspectives.org/
Twitter – @HPerspectives
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hidden.perspectives.sheffield/