Student Voice: Celebrating LGBT+ History Month

Alex Foglio (3DUT) is a member of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group and has written this article about the importance of LGBT+ History Month. 

“Love is not a science, a weakness nor a triviality – love is the force that drives the human spirit; the sole emotion upon which all of life’s meaning is based upon.”

Sappho.   

Happy LGBT+ History Month

Lately, it seems like the LGBTQ+ community is gaining more recognition than ever before, and while it is certainly worth celebrating how much has changed, it’s just as important to remember the people that helped change the world. That’s where LGBT+ History Month comes in!

This annual celebration of LGBTQ figures and events that have helped shape the world as we know it today is a great way to educate yourself and others about the important contributions LGBT people have made over the centuries.  

One of the first documented cases of homosexuality in history was in Ancient Greece, over 2,000 years ago. In fact, many of the men in power at the time were gay or bisexual.

Despite this, over time, people began to view being homosexuality as immoral and wrong.

Fortunately for the community, that started to change in the 1900s when more and more people began to speak out against the stigma surrounding homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people. Today, the LGBTQ+ community is more visible and accepted than ever. 

Inspirational People You Should Know

One of the best-known LGBT historical figures is Alan Turing, a computer scientist and mathematician whose work at Bletchley Park allowed the UK to crack the formidable German Enigma.

Turing was prosecuted for being a gay man, after the war and was placed on harsh medications.

He, unfortunately, took his own life at the young age of 42. Knowledge of Turing’s vital contributions to the war effort were lost, all because of his sexuality. However, in 2013, he was pardoned and awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) posthumously and his war efforts were widely acknowledged.

Alan Turing is now considered to be one of the most important LGBT figures in history and key figure in WW2 

Bayard Rustin was an openly gay African American civil rights advocate who was a key advisor to both Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph, both leading civil rights activists.

He helped organise the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1965 Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery for the constitutional right of African Americans to vote.

Rustin also campaigned for LGBT+ rights and was a strong supporter of marriage equality but his sexuality was used against him by the opposition when he worked for King. He was a truly remarkable man and has often been called the “lost hero of the civil rights movement”.

President Ronald Reagan issued a statement when Rustin died, praising his work on civil rights. He said that Rustin “was denounced by former friends, because he never gave up his conviction that minorities in America could and would succeed based on their individual merit”. 

Sylvia Rivera was a Puerto Rican American transgender activist and drag queen who was a tireless advocate for basic gay and transgender rights. 

She was a key figure in the Stonewall riots and was openly transgender in an era when trans people were often forced to never come out. Her courage helped open the public’s eye to the pain of the LGBT community and laid the foundation of many rights and freedoms that the community has today.  

This is just a brief overview of some of the most important LGBTQ+ figures in history and how they have contributed to the world we live in today. There are many more who have been – and are still – making a difference for the LGBTQ+ community.  

There are many resources available online to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, including organisations, museums, and our own library. 

Take some time to read through a few, and you just might discover that we’re not so different after all. And, during this month and beyond, take some time to acknowledge the people who fought hard for civil rights and freedoms and to appreciate their tireless work in the face of adversity. Happy LGBTQ History Month!