This month marks the 17th LGBT History Month in the United Kingdom. LGBT History month is an annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history and the history of the gay rights movement. It was founded by co-chairs of the Schools OUT UK charity, Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick, in February 2005 to honour the abolition of Section 28 in 2003, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality.
Throughout history and even now LGBT individuals have suffered a great deal of prejudices. LGBT History Month is all about raising awareness of the achievements of the LGBT community now and throughout history, in order to combat these prejudices. It is about promoting the welfare of the LGBT community and ensuring they are recognised in the curriculum and wider community.
LGBT History Month’s motto is “Claiming our past. Celebrating our present. Creating our future”, as well as the Schools OUT UK motto “Educate OUT Prejudice”. They place a large emphasis on education, in order to make educational and other institutions safe places for all LGBT individuals. Therefore, in order to claim their past throughout the month they aim to regularly feature prominent LGBT figures who have been forgotten in mainstream history.
Each year LGBT History Month is centered around a particular theme, the theme for 2022 is ‘Politics in Art: The Arc is Long’. The month aims to recognise and celebrate the creativity and contributions of LGBT artists throughout history. This years theme “The Arc is Long” is inspired by the Martin Luther King quote:
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
This quote captures the very essence of LGBT History Month, it essentially means that although it is taking a long time we are moving towards fairness and social justice. This month is extremely important not just in terms of educating young people, but also yourself and the wider community on how to combat the historical and present day prejudices the LGBT community face.