{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s LGBT\u002B History Month. While some of us might be fully aware of what it\u2019s all about, some people might not even know it exists. To explain its history and why it\u2019s so important, Vic Leon-Cutler and James Clarke, two volunteers in Scouts\u2019 UK Inclusion Team, give us their thoughts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12818/pride_1.jpg","width":1280,"height":960,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe first ever LGBT\u002B History Month was created by Rodney Wilson \u2013 a high-school teacher from the US \u2013 in October 1994. He hoped that the more people who knew about the history, the less that LGBT\u002B people would feel a minority and the more visible the LGBT\u002B community would become in society. In February 2005, LGBT\u002B History Month was set up in the UK by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick, two out-and-proud teachers working for the charity Schools Out.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs teachers and Scouts, we believe that understanding and learning about the past can only lead to a brighter future. At school, in our classrooms and in Scouting, we\u2019re both open about our sexuality and identity. One of us is an openly gay male (James \u2013 he/him), working at a secondary school in North London, and the other is a non-binary queer primary school teacher in Brighton (Vic \u2013 them/they). If we look back only 20 years ago, this wouldn\u2019t be possible. This was because of a law called \u2018Section 28\u2019. A law which \u2018prohibited the promotion of homosexuality, the publication of materials intended to promote homosexuality and the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12817/pride_4.jpg","width":720,"height":960,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVic:\u003C/strong\u003E I was nearly 17 by the time Section 28 was overturned and in university by the time any real changes were felt. Growing up during Section 28, knowing that I was queer, was difficult. At school, there were no books in the library that featured people like me; no queer history taught, no role models, just zero acknowledgement accompanied by complete denial and disregard should the topic come up. I studied Oscar Wilde as part of my English Literature A-level with zero mention of the fact he was gay: in fact, when we had to research him, we were given highly edited \u2018fact sheets\u2019 to look at. In History, we studied WW2 codebreakers but there was no mention that Alan Turing had suffered because of his sexuality. In fact, my teacher told us that \u2018he wasn\u2019t married because he was too busy working to find a wife.\u2019 On the playground, no-one stepped in to correct students when they\u2019d repeatedly use the word \u2018gay\u2019 as slang to mean something was uncool or rubbish.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EImagine growing up in a world where the very idea of who you are is so abhorrent that it can\u2019t even be spoken about. Think about what that does to one\u2019s sense of self. Even in today\u2019s post-Section 28 society, many queer people face a high level of discrimination. Is it any wonder that LGBT\u002B people are more likely to be affected by depression, anxiety, lack of self-worth and suicidal thoughts than their heterosexual counterparts?\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor this reason, it\u2019s even more vital that LGBT\u002B young people in Scouts have positive role models, and that LGBT\u002B history is discussed openly and supportively. LGBT\u002B role models are a lifeline for many young people and while realistically, not everyone\u2019s going to have an LGBT\u002B relative, teacher, or Scout leader, they can all have amazing allies. The new Module 7 training is a great place to start on the journey to becoming a great ally. While we all know and understand that change takes time, we believe that in Scouts, we can be proud of the steps we\u2019re taking for inclusion.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile Section 28 is no longer, the effects of it will last longer than we can imagine. Teachers in the profession who still feel uneasy talking about anything LGBT\u002B related; who\u2019ve had it ingrained in them that there\u2019s no place in schools for \u2018that kind of stuff\u2019. This is why LGBT\u002B History Month is so vital, not just in schools, but in Scouts too. The LGBT\u002B young people of today need to know it\u2019s okay to be themselves; that people just like them have walked that path before and not only survived, but also achieved great things. They were courageous and fought battles so that we have the rights we do today. While attending Pride events is important, it\u2019s vital to remember that Pride began as a riot. A fight for change.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12819/pride_5.jpeg","width":900,"height":1600,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJames: \u003C/strong\u003ETrue or false: it was illegal to talk about LGBT\u002B relationships in an English school in 2002. This was a question which featured in our school Kahoot quiz last week (I\u2019ve no doubt that by now, everyone in the UK has heard of Kahoot!). To the surprise of most students, the answer is in fact true. This was then followed by the question, \u2018How many countries is it illegal to be homosexual in? 20, 35, 52 or 74?\u2019 Everyone thought it had to be a low number and so decided on 35, but the answer was, to the disbelief of the students, 74.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn society now, whether that be at school, in my classrooms or within Scouts, I\u2019m always open about my sexuality and identity. It hasn\u2019t always been easy and even writing this blog now has taken me several rewrites, but as someone once said to me, \u2018Let\u0027s be the role models we needed when we were at school\u2019. For me, it was first in Scouts at the age of 14 that I felt comfortable and safe enough to first come out and say, \u2018My name is James and I\u2019m... gay\u2019. Eleven years on and I\u2019m proud to feel like I\u2019m starting to become the role model that I needed then, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be anywhere near that if it wasn\u2019t for the safe and inclusive environment created for me through Scouts.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKey LGBT\u002B and Scouts dates:\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1989:\u003C/strong\u003E Section 28 put in place\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1994:\u003C/strong\u003E First ever LGBT\u002B History Month\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2003:\u003C/strong\u003E Section 28 ends\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2004:\u003C/strong\u003E Scouts releases LGBT\u002B related fact sheets\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2005: \u003C/strong\u003EFirst UK LGBT\u002B History Month\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2009:\u003C/strong\u003E Scout leaders attend first London Pride\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2009: \u003C/strong\u003ELaunch of FLAGS, an LGBT\u002B Scout Active Support Unit that supports adults and young people across the UK\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2010:\u003C/strong\u003E Equality Act passes\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2015:\u003C/strong\u003E First Rainbow Cafe is staffed by the International Service Team (IST) at a World Scouts Jamboree\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2016:\u003C/strong\u003E FLAGS launch their first Rainbow Cafe at Gilwell 24\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2017: \u003C/strong\u003EFirst Rainbow Waffle Haus at Gilwell Wintercamp\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2017: \u003C/strong\u003EScout Shops release their first LGBT\u002B Pride range\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2017:\u003C/strong\u003E First host-organised Rainbow Caf\u00E9 at Moot in Iceland\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2018:\u003C/strong\u003E First host-organised Rainbow Caf\u00E9 at Roverway in the Netherlands\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2019:\u003C/strong\u003E 32 Pride events attended by Scouts across the UK\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2020:\u003C/strong\u003E Creation of UK\u2019s National Inclusion Team\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"18 February 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48641,"nodeName":"LGBT\u002B History Month: a vital Scouts celebration","title":"LGBT\u002B History Month: a vital Scouts celebration","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/12818/pride_1.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1655b8b0","caption":"Pride 1","type":"jpg","size":291317,"width":1280,"height":960,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"LGBT\u002B History Month: a vital Scouts celebration","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"LGBT\u002B History Month: a vital Scouts celebration","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY0MSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/february/lgbtplus-history-month-a-vital-scouts-celebration/"}