This spring term has been very eventful for us! In the spirit of breaking barriers, we hosted Meme Day and organised a trip to the Vagina Museum, in support of the charity Mermaids. Mermaids is one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities, who has a focus on supporting young trans individuals, which is also what the LGBTQ+ Network has been focusing on this year. We decided to host Meme Day on 12th February, all proceeds made during which were donated to Mermaids. Meme day was a hugs success that saw many students and even some teachers dressing up as their favourite memes. Some notable mentions go to the Obama Cube, Peppa Pig, and Shrek; we are incredibly grateful for everyone who took part and hope you all had fun! Moreover, we decided to organise a trip to the Vagina Museum to help break the misogynistic and cis-normative barriers that still permeate society. The Vagina Museum was a great opportunity to break some myths about the biologically female body and what it means to be a woman. We hoped to inspire all women - cis and trans - to open conversation about female reproductive health. -Tanisha
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This assembly was delivered on 10 February 2020 at London Academy of Excellence Stratford. Hi everyone, today we’re just going to spend a couple minutes talking to you about LGBT History Month. We’re going to cover what it is, why it’s important, and what we can all do. Origins While LGBT History Month originated in the US in 1994, in the UK it began 11 years later in 2005 following on from an initiative that was created by a couple of teachers, Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick. They organised LGBT History Month as part of a ‘Schools Out UK’ project – a programme that aims to teach young people about issues faced by members of the LGBT+ community and aims to make schools feel more inclusive for everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. It first took place in February 2005 and has been an annual event in the United Kingdom since. The event was held in February to coincide with the 2003 abolition of Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act – a piece of legislation introduced under Thatcher that stated local authorities weren’t allowed to “intentionally promote homosexuality of publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”. They expected like 15-20 events but between 150 and 200 events ended up taking place across the whole of the UK to celebrate LGBT History Month in 2005. You can see Sue Sanders here in the picture, she’s speaking at the pre-launch of LGBT History Month 2008 at the Royal Courts of Justice. Aside from instituting the first LGBT History Month, she’s also done many other things in the name of LGBT+ rights activism and has won a number of awards for her work. 2020 So, this year the theme nationally for LGBT History Month is ‘Poetry, Prose and Plays’, in memory of Lyra McKee – lesbian journalist who was tragically shot dead in a riot in Northern Ireland in April 2019, who you can see on the screen there. Every year since 2011, LGBT History Month has a different theme – like last year was ‘Peace, Activism and Reconciliation’. The point of this is to show how LGBT issues intersect over different disciplines such as science (2013: STEM + Alan Turing) and literature with this year. Importance LGBT History Month is a vital event nationally in order to raise awareness of, and combat, prejudice against the LGBT+ community. According to a recent study by Stonewall, nearly half of LGBT students are bullied for their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. The same study shows that just 1 in 5 LGBT pupils have been taught in school about safe sex in relation to same-sex relationships. Perhaps the most harrowing results from the study is that more than 4 in 5 trans young people have self-harmed, as have 3 in 5 LGB young people who are not trans. More than 2 in 5 trans young people have attempted to take their own life and 1 in 5 LGB students who are not trans have done the same. This month can be used as a means to help raise the visibility of the LGBT community nationally and help to significantly reduce these statistics. As bad as these results may seem, there is good news in that since 2012, there has indeed been a significant decrease in anti-LGBT bullying and language. LGBT+ History Month is also important in celebrating the achievements and diversity of the LGBT+ community. This is done by increasing the visibility of LGBT+ people, their history, lives, and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational institutions, other institutions, and the wider community. By recognising the great deal of contributions to society due to LGBT+ people, it helps to destigmatise the community. The team behind LGBT+ History Month have various resources available for free to help educate on and enable the rich diversity of LGBT+ people to be visible. Observing
Here at LAE, we will be observing LGBT+ History Month in line with this year’s Meme Day. It was very successful last year and we hope to be even more successful so dress up as your favourite meme for 12th February; there’ll be a bake sale, a best meme contest, and a TikTok contest. We’ll explain all the rules for those later so keep your eyes peeled. Looking at the wider community, there are a number of events being held in Newham such as poetry workshops, film screenings, talks and a celebration at the end of the month. You can find more details about these on the website Newham LGBT History (dot) org. Keep an eye out on the weekly bulletin as we might draw attention to some of these events there. Thanks for listening! - Ilyas February commemorates LGBT History Month in the UK. It provides role models, and serves as a powerful statement about the contributions of queer people throughout history- something that has been sadly ignored by the permeating heteronormativity of society. This year, the theme of the month is ‘What Have We Learned?’, which aims to reflect on the massive impact of the legislation which silenced teachers, preventing them from talking about LGBT issues in schools, and left thousands of young people without much needed support. It’s an opportunity to celebrate what we have done to undo the legacy of the infamous Section 28 and make necessary commitments for the future. Section 28 symbolised the transition in British society from homosexuality being made legal, but still being discriminated against. Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship". In essence, it took away the opportunity for conversation and education, hindering any progress that could have been made by educating young people about queer issues, leaving many people with deeply rooted insecurities and anxieties about their very being but no where to go to talk about it. After a decade of campaigning, Section 28 was repealed on 21 June 2000, but the legislation left an enduring legacy. Guidance on what teachers could discuss was not given, leading to years of continued uncertainty about what was ‘appropriate’ for discussion in schools, feeding into the general homophobic rhetoric that sees being queer as something so fundamentally different. It is only in recently, thanks to the hard work of teachers, campaigners, charities and local authorities, that progress has been made in beginning to undo the toxicity left behind by the law. Although much progress has undoubtedly been made in the last twenty years, the rhetoric still lasts and is very prominent in school environments. Casual homophobia is the most prevalent issue we face, in that, though institutional homophobia is decreasing, the general heteronormativity that sees the different as the ‘other’ remains. Be it slight sniggers in the back when discussing an LGBT person, or outspoken refusal to use someone’s correct pronouns, it is no doubt that we as a society still struggle greatly with acceptance. The most common example is young people particularly putting conditions on their acceptance, such as “It’s fine if you’re gay just don’t shove it in my face”, or “I don’t mind gay people, but I think children should have a mum and a dad”, or quite possibly one of the worst of them all “I have no problem with gay people, just being gay.” The fact this is normalised is in equal parts disgusting and oddly surreal- it is extremely paradoxical to claim to be a decent person, then preface your decency with the promise of not being a decent person. This only shows that people are fully aware that homophobia is bad and damaging, but are not willing to better themselves. Be willing to be held accountable, or commit fully to learning and changing yourself, instead of stubbornly regurgitating the same homophobic bullshit. The problem is less misinformation, and more the unwillingness to learn- the ultimately toxic trait Section 28 left behind. Misinformation can be easily fixed with conversation; blatant bigotry cannot. This month, we need to work on improving the quality of conversation in our school: using inclusive language, holding people accountable and using this platform of education to alleviate queer people of the subconscious mockery we have so unjustly become desensitised to. This month, let’s learn how to learn again. - Tanisha
Friday 11th October is Coming Out Day! In spirit of that, the LGBT+ Network would like to talk about coming out: some general tips on how to come out, how to respond to a coming out, and a some brief history of why this day and this process is so important. National Coming Out Day was first celebrated in 1988 in the USA. It was created by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Learyn to promote gay and feminist liberation. Today, it holds the importance of promoting LGBT+ visibility- to normalise the existences of queer individuals. It is rooted in the idea that intolerance thrives in closed environments. By contrast, promoting the openness of coming out helps to alleviate the relative normality of homophobia and transphobia. Here are some tips for coming out! Firstly, there is no rush. There is no obligation to come out at any time if you don’t want to- you don’t owe anyone your identity. By extension, make sure you are comfortable and safe before deciding to come out: you need to be your priority, so if you are in any unsafe or uncomfortable position, there is no absolute need to come out. Secondly, know identity is fluid. Figuring out who you are can take some time and maybe trial and error. It is perfectly okay and normal to try different labels to see which feels the best. For example, you might feel you want to use he/him pronouns, then feel better with they/them pronouns. You are perfectly valid at every stage of coming out. Just make sure you inform people so they can accommodate to your identity e.g. by using the right pronouns. When deciding to come out, many people tend to prepare for the worst. There is no promise that coming out will go well, neither is there any guarantee it will go badly. It is important to understand that it does not matter how people react. If things go badly, you will find other people who will respect your person. Anyone’s perception of you cannot change your experience of yourself. Know life will change around you because you cannot. Things going badly is okay. Also, call people out on their homophobia and transphobia, no matter how casual or minor. Make it known you will not allow for your existence to be belittled or ridiculed in any way, no matter how small. Standing up for yourself shows you are fundamentally okay with yourself; people will be less likely to be overtly bigoted if they know there will be immediate consequences. Actively normalise your identity by actively de-normalising any opposition towards it. Here are some tips on how to react to a coming out! DON’T OUT PEOPLE! On coming out day or otherwise, you don’t have any right to someone’s identity, so, you don’t have any right to express that identity publicly. Whether you think you’re doing someone a favor or otherwise, their coming out is not yours to partake in unless they specifically ask you to do so. RESPECT PEOPLE’S PRONOUNS! In front of them and behind their back; it is one thing to forget and correct yourself, and another entirely to purposefully use the wrong pronouns for someone, least of which behind someone’s back. Doing that shows you know you are wrong but choose to do so anyway. Match their energy. If the person coming out to you is very casual and nonchalant, respond similarly—casually and respectfully. If they are very nervous, feel free to break out the ‘I love you no matter what’ speech. Over-doing it may feel like you think they are different, as you are over-compensating. Under-doing it may feel like you don’t care about them. Both are bad. Under no circumstance reply with “oh I knew”: this is their moment, so allow them to be the center of attention. - Tanisha
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