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Since 1997 the position of LGBT people has improved as a result of human
rights legislation. Section 28 was repealed in 2003;
employment protection appeared the same year, and last year Civil Partnerships
entered the statute book. This year we will see protection from discrimination
in the provision of goods and services.
Now it’s time we began to deal with the legacy of silence. This
is not only in the interests of LGBT people but of our whole society.
Silence breeds ignorance and distorted imaginings. From these come, at
best, embarrassment; at worst, hostility and hate crimes.
Together, we can break through the silence that surrounds the lives of
people who do not conform to conventional notions about sexuality and
gender. We can help to end the sense of isolation and bewilderment felt
by so many LGBT people, particularly the young. We can make bullying unacceptable.
We can also help to dispel the anxiety and confused rage that drive some
people to aggressive behaviour.
UNDERSTANDING WHO WE ARE
Throughout history we can find many examples of people who, for one reason
or another, refused to conform to the outward signs of the sex to which
they were born. We also find many stories of people who loved their own
sex. Some of these people were famous; some of them obscure. Some of them
experienced serious persecution; others were luckier. Some are remembered
for the contributions they made to our culture and society. Their personal
lives are usually suppressed or censored, except in specialist publications.
To understand our present and imagine our future, we must first gain
insight into our past. This is true of us as individuals; it is also true
of societies. LGBT History Month is a time when we can explore and share
some hidden aspects of our country’s past, both recent and remote.
This hidden history belongs to all of us; it is part of our inheritance
LOCALLY:
Many will recall the excellent “Forgotten
Fairytales” Oral Archive exhibition, chronicling the lives of
LGBT people in Northamptonshire. Courtesy of University Northampton, this
exhibition runs again from 5th February to the 16th 2007 in the Library
at Park Campus. Further details via Paul Crofts 01604 893887 equality@northampton.ac.uk
or via NLGBA.
May be it is now time to record Northamptonshire’s contribution
to the fight for fair and equal treatment for LGB people over the years.
NLGBA has been donated the banner used in 1988 locally to “fight
the clause”. Let us know how you are able to make a contribution
to this idea, and lets target LGBT History Month 2008 for a celebratory
reflection on our hard work over the years.
For more information on what’s going on with LGBT History month
around the country look at www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk
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