| by CURVE Staff

OUTing the past

Blog

Sue Sanders lets DIVA in on what this year’s OUTing The Past festival holds in store…

 

Want insider knowledge on this year's LGBT History Month (LGBTHM) events taking place around the UK?

 

Then you're in the right place as LGBTHM's Sue Sanders gives us the lowdown on LGBT history festival, OUTing The Past… 

 

 

Kicking things off, on the 1 February 2019, the London School Of Economics offers a chance to learn about Mary McIntosh: Britain’s Leading Feminist 1936-2013 thanks to Stuart Feather. On the day, Lisa Power will also tell us all about leading LGBT charity Stonewall from a lesbian feminist perspective and Natasha Walker will give us the history of Switchboard, the LGBT helpline.

 

Caroline Paige will be describing trans history through the lived experiences of three RAF trans trailblazers who served their country in peace and war; whilst championing trans rights on the 2 February 2019. 

 

We're also thrilled to be launching three original pieces of theatre especially for the festival; one on how a man from Bolton met queer literary hero, Walt Whitman, with Whitman being played by a woman of colour. Stephen Hornby is also premiering a piece of work focusing on the infamous Bermondsey by-election to be performed at the People’s History Museum on 10 March 2019.

 

Marty Forsythe also has an exciting new production from Kabosh that explores the events of the first National Union Of Students Lesbian & Gay Conference at Queens University in Belfast in 1983. This is the first heritage premiere produced in the new partnership between Kabosh and LGBT History Month. (Find out more here!)

 

 

In Brighton on the 23 February, Victoria Golding presents her take on "rural lesbians" and Jane Hoy present The Oldest New Woman And Her Incorrigible Welsh Friend; a lively conversation in costume with Frances Power Cobbe (born in 1822) an Irish feminist, theologian, journalist and political activist and Mary Charlotte Lloyd (born 1819). 

 

Neil Bartlett and Susan Eskdale will also talk about PEDAGOGUE made in the 80s in response to Section 28, since then it has continued to be shared, watched, exhibited, debated and discussed around the world.

 

In Leeds on the 7 February 2019, Angela Clare will be outing Anne Lister, and Susan Phillips will be exploring the challenge of a lesbian becoming a mother in 80s and 90s, focusing on the story of an informal, voluntary, self-insemination service that was founded and run in Leeds for lesbians at the time.

 

In Bedford on the 16 February 2019, Kate Hutchinson will be looking at rock music through the eyes of those who identify as trans, and in Liverpool on the 23 February, Hilary McCollum will discuss "public and private lesbian worlds" in the 1920s. Val Stevenson will explore Trans Identities vs. The Glad Rag and Cross-Talk Magazines 70s–90s and, Pierrette Squires will explore bisexual representation in museum collections.

 

LGBTHM will visit Bolton on the 16 March 2019 and will see me, Sue Sanders, talking about Schools OUT (making our schools safe and inclusive for everyone) and LGBT History Month and all we have done to make sure LGBT people, in all their diversity, are safe, visible and proud. Alex Baker will also look at trans history and Victoria Mckenzie at Black and POC LGBT history.

 

 

Finally, Stuart Milk – nephew of Harvery Milk – will be at the Bedford & Bishopsgate Hub and the conference at the end of March in Belfast; sure to be a feast of knowledge networking and inspiration!

 

That's it for now! I don’t have room for all of the gems taking place this LGHBTHM, so please do check out the website for full details. Hope to see you there this LGBTHM.

 

– Sue Sanders, Chair Of Schools OUT and founder of LGBT History Month. OUTingthepast.org.uk.

 

 

Only reading DIVA online? You're missing out. For more news, reviews and commentary, check out the latest issue. It's pretty badass, if we do say so ourselves.

 

divadigital.co.uk // divadirect.co.uk // divasub.co.uk

 

X
X