What is LGBTQ+ History Month?

LGBTQ+ history month began with a Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson in February 1994, since then it has become an international opportunity for remembrance, celebration and activism. In honour of the month, we are placing the spotlight on important figures of LGBTQ+ history to us. It is important to remember that notions of sexuality and identity have changed over the years: language, social approaches and modes of documentation have evolved and there are many individuals whose identity will remain unclear or unknown. Despite this, figures of shared history can be important to individuals sharing the same identity. LGBTQ+ history month is, therefore, a fantastic way of bridging the gaps of time, prejudice and loss that separate queer individuals today from those of the past.

Emily Baldwin, Mark Ashton

LGBT history is notoriously absent in the media, yet, one of the prevailing representations of queer community, culture and history is found in the 2014 BBC film Pride. Pride tells the story of the 1984 Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners campaign. The campaign saw lesbian and gay activists organising support for Welsh picketers during the mining crisis, demonstrating social solidarity across class and sexual lines. Featured in the film are a number of individuals who have made incredible contributions to the LGBT community.

Co-founding the group was Mark Ashton, a gay rights and communist activist who moved from Northern Ireland to London in the late 70s. Ashton volunteered for the London Lesbian and Gay switchboard, joined the Young Communist League and supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarnement before moving towards the LGSM support group in the 1980s. Mark was a significant figure whose activism intersected experiences across the UK. He died at just 26 years old of AIDS-related illnesses in January 1987, and is remembered throughout the LGBT coomunity through the Marsk Ashton Trust, the Terrence Higgins Trust’s Red Ribbon Fund and a commemorative Blue Plaque outside of the oldest LGBT book store and the LGSM meeting place Gay’s The Word, on Marchmont Street, London. 

It is hard to think about LGBT History month without acknowledging how many individuals were lost in history. Whether this be because of a lack of documentation, Victorian modesty, 20th-century embarrassment or the state-facilitated death of thousands of queer people during the AIDs crisis, I find solace in remembering these figures. 

Ffion Hâf, James Baldwin

I first came across Baldwin’s work in my first year of university when studying his novel Giovanni’s Room, and ever since then, I have been in awe of not only his literary talent but his contribution to the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights movement in America. His novel was powerful, personal and daring for its frankness on how race, gender and sexuality make up every aspect of society. Giovanni’s Room may have caused great controversy for its homoeritoic themes and its candid portrayal of same-sex relationships, however, it inspired countless to strive for equality and fight for the basic right to love whomever we choose, recognising that we are all human, whether we are gay, lesbian, trans, bi, or queer. 

Baldwin once said, ‘It is astonishing that in a country so devoted to the individual, so many people should be afraid to speak.’ Instead of conforming to societal expectations and hiding his identity, he become the voice that inspired so many people in his openness regarding his sexuality. Baldwin viewed sexuality as fluid and viewed sexual categories as limited. 

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Baldwin spoke out about the decriminalization of homosexuality and the animosity the community faced, stating that ‘no one has a right to try to tell another human being whom he or she can or should love.’ He was a firm believer in the notion that people were not born to be defined by societies standards, but instead themselves alone. 

As a writer, Baldwin highlighted the complexities of his identity along with internal struggles regarding acceptance. However, what I truly admire about Baldwin is that as an openly gay, African American man who fought tirelessly for civil rights, he could have been afraid but yet he was not. Baldwin was proud of who he was and embraced his identity through every aspect of his being. During a period of hatred and cruelty, he was open about his sexuality regardless of what others thought. 

Phoebe Snedker, Audre Lorde

A figure of particular importance for me would be Audre Lorde; her works have shaped many of the modules I have studied during my time at the University of Birmingham, and her words have not lost their strength and resonance as time has passed. Lorde was a poet and essayist who gave voice to issues of race, gender and sexuality, and described herself as a ‘black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.’

Lorde stands as an important figurehead in LGBTQ+ history, encouraging an acknowledgement that the face of lesbianism went beyond the historically stereotyped white, middle class woman. She used her voice to fight against the marginalisation of minority categories – particularly lesbianism and black womanhood – and was central to many liberation movements and activist circles, ranging from second-wave feminism and and black cultural movements, to the battle for LGBTQ+ equality itself. 

Lorde’s poetry often tackled sexuality and her experiences as a queer woman, and in response to disapproval about the content of her work, she told interviewer Charles H. Rowell ‘my sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of me and my worlds… It is about revolution and change.’ for a piece in the journal Callaloo. Among her numerous fellowships and awards, Audre Lorde stands as an incredibly influential and respectable contributor to black, lesbian history, and her legacy deserves to be celebrated at all times – but especially throughout LGBTQ+ history month.

Colette Fountain, Marsha P. Johnson

For anyone familiar with Queer history, the Stonewall Riots of 1969 are one of the most significant events of the 20th century. Playing a crucial role in these riots was activist Marsha P. Johnson, a self-identified drag queen. She helped found the Gay Liberation Front, and the Street Transvensitite Action Revolutionaries, volunteering with ACT UP from 1987-1992 in the fight against AIDS.

Johnson was a vital part of the drag community, performing in drag group Hot Peaches from 1972 until the 1990s and being photographed by Andy Warhol. 

STAR House was founded by Johnson in 1970, providing shelter for homeless gay and trans youths, funded by the money they made through sex work. This consolidated her role as a “drag mother” to the community, frequently sheltering those at risk in the community.

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