Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was a controversial amendment to the UK's Local Government Act 1986, enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of the UK by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003. The amendment 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". The legacy of this piece of legislation has been longstanding and had created an environment where homophobic bullying and discrimination would go completely unchallenged. Arguably, the impact of s. 28 still remains prevalent where LGBT+ issues do not get discussed nor addressed.
LGBT+ History Month takes place every February. It is a month-long celebration of LGBT+ history and the history of gay rights and related civil rights movements. It aims to promote and celebrate equality and diversity. The first LGBT+ History Month was celebrated in the UK in 2005 and founded by Schools OUT UK in 2004. Since then it has grown, and now has a different theme each year, the theme for 2022 is: Politics in Art – 'The arc is long' (paraphrased from Dr Martin Luther King Junior's quote 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice'), something that feels very poignant, especially in current times. Find more information on the LGBT+ History Month website.
2022 sees the 50th anniversary of the very first Pride March in the UK in 1972. A popular slogan of the early Gay Rights Movement (the idea of the ‘LGBT’ community was some way off) of the time was “the personal is political”, and art is probably the most individual of pastimes. So it seemed logical, as we have a National Curriculum link to our theme every year, to choose Art for 2022.
Resources and further reading for your consideration:
(Just Like Us UK ‘Growing Up LGBT+, November 2021). Read the report here.
The Proud Leadership Programme supports LGBTQ+ teachers and allies to move into school leadership to promote greater diversity in schools. The programme consists of 3 full day CPD events followed by 3 hours of bespoke mentoring and training.
The topics covered include:
For each day (Friday 4 March, Friday 22 April and Friday 20 May) the morning sessions will start at approximately 9.30 and the afternoon session at approximately 1pm via Zoom.
NB: When registering, you only need to select one date.
The programme is fully funded and supported through the Teach First Network Fund.
Find out more and sign up here.
LGBT+ History Month are running a competition for ALL young people. Find out more & enter here.
Please cascade and support this in your setting.