Category: Equality and Diversity

Trigger Warning: Mentions of homophobia, descriptions of sex.  David Halperin has pointed out that we have only witnessed 100 years of homosexuality as we know it. The distinct nature of homosexuality as a social, sexual and cultural category is modern, and therefore often anachronous when applied to the past. So how was same sex love … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Homoeroticism in ‘Queering the Renaissance’”

Inspired by LGBTQIA+ history month, final year History student Helena Potter shares the fascinating subculture of London Lesbians in the 1920s-30s.  Lesbians have been periodically silenced in British law. Under the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, ‘gross indecency’, in other words any homosexual act between men, became a punishable offense.  The deliberate silence surrounding sexual … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Lesbians in Interwar London – Helena Potter”

To continue shedding light on LGBTQIA+ histories and experiences, I wanted to share a fantastic project for the local area, called ‘Gay Birmingham Remembered’, led by the Birmingham LGBT community trust. In honour of LGBTQIA+ History month 2006, the project was established with the collaboration of Birmingham Libraries and funded by a Heritage Lottery fund … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Gay Birmingham Remembered”

For LGBTQIA+ history month, recent Ancient History graduate Ollie Burns explores the life of one individual who may confuse what we know about gender non-conformity in the ancient world. *Although the histories written in antiquity refer to Elagabalus unanimously as ‘he/him’, examination of these sources suggest very strongly that the emperor did not identify as … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Elagabalus, The Trans Emperor of Rome? – Ollie Burns”

Trigger Warning: Transphobia The 1950s were the years that the concept of medical gender transitioning became possible in the UK, with 2021 marking seventy years since the first known male to female sex change carried out in Britain. The story leading up to this milestone was long and complex, and the lives of two trans … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Trans Pioneers: Michael Dillon & Roberta Cowell”

Valentines day. We have all come to love or loathe the mass capitalist phenomenon that has appropriated the hagiographical tale of a third century Catholic martyr, and forced the lucky ones among us to fork out for a nice dinner and a bunch of flowers. But one tradition of valentines which I am desperate to … Continue reading “Victorian Vinegar Valentines”

As part of LGBTQIA+ history month, I wanted to spotlight a pre-modern historical find which demonstrates the complexities of gender identity and presentation throughout history. One claim that many transgender and gender non-conforming people are faced with is the assertion that their experiences are somehow a new phenomenon. The “we never had these ideas in … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Burying the truth: gender, the media, and accessing the past”

In contrast to male homosexuality, same-sex female attraction in England has not been historically tainted with criminalisation. Referred to as the ‘silent sin’ by church authorities, it was thought that if kept out of popular consciousness, women would be unable to even think of same-sex relationships, let alone take part in them. As a result, … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – ‘Passing the love of woman’: Romantic Female Friendships in the Eighteenth Century”

In honour of LGBTQIA+ history month, Ancient History alumni Ollie Burns takes a closer look at the social, political, and cultural implications of homosexuality in ancient Rome.  Trigger Warning: sexual violence, homophobia, paedophilia, nudity. The presentation and perception of homosexuality in the Roman world was vastly different than how it is today, and gives us … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – Male Homosexuality in Ancient Rome”

Trigger Warning: homophobia, transphobia, violence, mental health issues The advent of LGBTQIA+ history month entails a mixed bag of emotions for many; though an essential and uplifting opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of queer people throughout history, it also prompts a sober reflection on the casualties of the struggle for liberation, and the … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month – ‘Innovate, don’t assimilate’: The Gay Liberation Front Manifesto, 50 years on”