Shedding light on marginalised people of history is important and many incredible women are unfortunately a part of that. While some of these women with their actions are by no means role models, they show us the rise of women in a society where patriarchy was rife, and oppression was the norm. Phoolan Devi’s story … Continue reading “Women in History – Phoolan Devi”
Pilgrim’s Progress #1 – Jack Gunn
In remembrance of a time when going outside wasn’t government regulated, third-year history student Jack Gunn takes us with him on a pilgrimage from Winchester to Canterbury, and relays the historical treats he found along the way. In the latter part of August, I was lucky enough to embark on a pilgrimage. Alongside a couple … Continue reading “Pilgrim’s Progress #1 – Jack Gunn”
LGBTQIA+ History Month: Marsha P. Johnson
In honouring LGBTQIA+ History Month I wanted to highlight one of the key figures of the 1960s and 1970s, Marsha P. Johnson, who was a black transgender-rights activist and who was also, one of the pioneers of the Stonewall Riots in 1969. Johnson was born in New Jersey on 24th January 1945 but moved to New York after graduating high school. … Continue reading “LGBTQIA+ History Month: Marsha P. Johnson”
LGBTQIA+ History Month – Homoeroticism in ‘Queering the Renaissance’
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’”
LGBTQIA+ History Month – Lesbians in Interwar London – Helena Potter
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”
LGBTQIA+ History Month – Gay Birmingham Remembered
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”
Korean History and Its Impact Today
By growing up in England, in history we all learn about the Tudors, the Stuarts, the First and Second World Wars and so on. There is only diversity in what you learn as you decide to study history as a subject, only as you progress into A levels and pursue history at degree level in … Continue reading “Korean History and Its Impact Today”
LGBTQIA+ History Month – Elagabalus, The Trans Emperor of Rome? – Ollie Burns
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”
LGBTQIA+ History Month – Trans Pioneers: Michael Dillon & Roberta Cowell
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”
Victorian Vinegar Valentines
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”