This month we have been talking about LGBTQ+ history in the UK – struggles overcome, successes celebrated, and the impact that all of this has on our lives today.
The LGBTQ+ community has a reputation for turning historical events into future movements for change. Take Stonewall, for example. The Stonewall riots on June 28th, 1969, are well known as a turning point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. The UK charity Stonewall, which is named after the riots, continues to build on the momentum sparked on that day 50 years ago.
Lesbian and Gays Support the Migrants is another great example. Their name references Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners; the alliance of LGBTQ+ people who supported the miners strike in the 1980s. Now, LGSMigrants are once again showing the willingness of the LGBTQ+ community to “stand in solidarity” with other groups of people who are in real need of support.
Say It Loud Club also strives to build on history to work towards a better future for our community and everybody around us. We build on my history of first running the Club as an LGBTQ+ rights group in Uganda. We build on the pain and challenges of our own histories to be able to help others in the same situation. And we build on everything that LGBTQ+ and refugee groups have done before us – continuing to show how people really do pull together to support each other and create change.