LGBT History Month

Here is a short article that I was intending on putting in the daily on-line magazine that I wanted to produce from today. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get the software or internet resources required in time:

LGBT History Month is an event founded in the UK in 2005 based on an annual event in the US which has been going since 1994. Initiated here by Sue Sanders and the Schools Out organisation soon after the abolition of Section 28, an amendment to the Local Government Act of 1988 which stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” It had been bad enough when I was at school that there was no obvious support for any student who may identify, or think they identify, with being gay. Then the Tory government, many of whom were closeted themselves, decided to make life that much more difficult for us lavender lads and lasses and, just when society was about ready to begin accepting gay people as equals, they made it illegal for the support system to be initiated where it was needed most, in schools. People wonder why I don’t like Margaret Thatcher, this is just one example.

It was with this year’s LGBT History Month in mind that I decided to set up this on-line magazine, based on an idea I had had a couple of years ago. I felt that, when I was younger, I had no gay role models, other than incredibly camp ones such as Boy George, Marilyn and Jimmy Somerville, people that I felt I had absolutely nothing in common with. Back then Elton John hadn’t even come yet.

Now, we have such incredible role models from all walks of life it makes me wonder if young LGBT people, and even the not-so-young, just coming to terms with their burgeoning sexuality, know where and who these potential role models are. To this end I wanted to create a space where the wide variety of known LGBT people could be introduced to spark the interest of those who might wish to investigate further.

Each day I will focus on those LGBT people who have either been born or died on that date, as well as any events in LGBT history which may have taken place. I hope you find it interesting. I hope that it encourages you to examine these people further. And I hope that you pass on your gained knowledge, and cultural history, to others LGBT or not.