LGBTQUIA+ History Month

February

LGBTQUIA+ History Month is observed throughout February, it is an annual celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans history, and the history of the LGBTQUIA+ rights and related civil rights movements.

The overall aim of LGBTQUIA+ History month is to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public. This is done by:

Increasing the visibility of LGBTQUIA+ people, their history, lives, and experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community.
Raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBTQUIA+ community.
Working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBTQUIA+ communities.
Promoting the welfare of LGBTQUIA+ people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBTQUIA+ people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.

See upcoming events for LGBTQUIA+ History Month 2023 and other resources on the Queering University webpages.

Learn more

LGBTQUA+ History

The Stonewall riots (28 June 1969)

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQUA+ community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of 28 June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.

"On June 28th, 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back against what had become regular, tolerated, city sanctioned harassment by the police department. For the first time in history Gay people refused to accept the status quo of oppression and stood up for themselves and, ultimately, the global Gay community. The Stonewall Inn, and the rebellion here, became the iconic flashpoint that sparked the long, uphill battle towards equality for all members of the Gay community. Often referred to as the “Rosa Parks moment” in Gay history the Stonewall rebellion paved the way for future members of the community to not accept treatment as second-class citizens but rather to expect that the LGBT community be treated as equals in the eyes of both the government and society at large"

Source: The BirthplaceLink opens in a new window (The Stonewall Inn).

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (c. late 1600s) letters to Vicereine Maria Luisa de la Paredes

But, [Maria Luisa], why go on?
For yourself alone I love you.
Considering your merits,
what more is there to say?
That you’re a woman far away
is no hindrance to my love:
for the soul, as you well know,
distance and sex don’t count

Can you wonder my love sought you out?
Why need I stress that I’m true,
when every one of your features
betokens my enslavement?

Source: Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between WomenLink opens in a new window (Leila J. Rupp).

Jalal al-Din Rumi

"Jalal al-Din Rumi was a poet, theologian and Sufi mystic.

Rumi was married and had one son. After his wife’s death, he remarried and fathered two more children. In 1244, Rumi met a man who changed his life. Shams of Tabriz was an older Sufi master who became Rumi’s spiritual mentor and constant companion. After Shams died, Rumi grieved for years. He began expressing his love and bereavement in poetry, music and dance.

Rumi had two other male companions, but none would replace his beloved Shams. One of Rumi’s major poetic works is named in honor of his master, "The Works of Shams of Tabriz." Rumi’s best-known work is "Spiritual Couplets," a six-volume poem often referred to as the greatest work of mystical poetry.

In 'Rumi: The Book of Love Poems of Ecstasy and Longing', Rumi expresses his perception of true love. 'Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along'"

Source: Jalal al-Din Rumi BiographyLink opens in a new window (LGBT History Month).

Roberta Cowell

Roberta Cowell is the first known British trans woman to undergo reassignment surgery in 1951.

Roberta Cowell was a racing driver and World War II fighter pilot. She was born in Croydon and studied engineering at University College London (UCL).

She underwent a secret procedure in order to get a certificate stating that she was intersex. This enabled her to undergo surgery and get a new birth certificate.

Marsha P Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. A founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, Johnson co-founded the gay and trans advocacy organization S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries). A popular figure in New York City's gay and art scene, Johnson modelled for Andy Warhol, and performed onstage with the drag performance troupe, Hot Peaches. Known for decades as a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village, Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street“ (the street that the Stonewall Inn is on). From 1987 through 1992, Johnson was an AIDS activist with ACT UP.

Language

Friend of Dorothy

The expression 'friend of Dorothy' has been used as slang for gay men since at least the Second World War. The origin of the term is not known for certain, but it is thought to most likely derive from the Oz booksLink opens in a new window by L. Frank Baum, which centre around a young girl called Dorothy. In 'The Road to Oz' when Polychrome (the daughter of the Rainbow) meets Dorothy she says "You have some queer friends, Dorothy", to which Dorothy replies "The queerness doesn't matter, so long as they're friends".

Source: So What Does It Mean to Be a 'Friend of Dorothy?'Link opens in a new window (Pride).

Polari

"Until 1967, homosexual sex was illegal in England and Wales. To avoid imprisonment, gay men used Polari, a language that the Oxford English Dictionary says is “made up of Italianate phrases, rhyming slang and cant terms.” It had sprung up in the 1700s and 1800s as a secret language vagrants, itinerant performers, sailors and “gypsies” – many of its words, in fact, derive from the Romany people scattered across Europe".

Source: Polari: The code language gay men used to surviveLink opens in a new window (BBC Culture).

The Hanky Code

"The Hanky Code is a traditional form of signalling to others what your sexual preferences and interests are. Gay men used this code to communicate with each other in the noisy and distracting environment of gay bars".

Source: The Hanky CodeLink opens in a new window (The Closet Professor).

Violets

Violets and the colour purple have often been used as a code between women who love women. In the 20th Century lesbian and bisexual women gave each other violets to indicate their romantic feelings. The symbolism of the flower derives from the poem 'No Word' by Sappho, in which she describes a lover wearing tiaras of violets:

If you forget me, think

of our gifts to Aphrodite

and all the loveliness that we shared

all the violet tiaras,

braided rosebuds, dill and

crocus twined around your young neck

Resources

Stonewall 50 reading list

The Library in collaboration with the Rainbow Taskforce , has put together a reading list which showcases just some of the Library resources available and highlights a selection of the books, articles, and films which were and continue to be influential in the formation of LGBTQUA+ culture, identity, and movements.

The list is not comprehensive, and you can help to include a wider range of voices on the Library's shelves by sending in suggestions of materials which are missing, resources which might be useful, or literature and films which have personal significance. Email catriona.l.matthews@warwick.ac.uk.

You can find the Stonewall 50 reading list here.

Podcasts

One From the Vaults by Morgan M Page. A trans history podcast bringing you all the dirt, gossip, and glamour from trans history!
NB by Caitlin Benedict and Amrou Al-Kadhi for the BBC. You might have heard the term non-binary. This is how it feels. Join Caitlin and Amrou as they ask the big questions about gender and identity.
Prejudice and Pride by Clare Balding for the National Trust.A six-part podcast series presented by broadcaster and author Clare Balding, which explores the lost and hidden LGBTQ stories from collections, gardens and landscapes the National Trust cares for. Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial de-criminalisation of homosexuality.
Making Gay History by Eric Marcus. Intimate, personal portraits of both known and long-forgotten champions, heroes, and witnesses to history brought to you from rare archival interviews.
History is Gay by Gretchen Ellis and Leigh Pfeffer. History is Gay is a twice-monthly podcast where two queer nerds use their passion for social justice, history, and storytelling to examine the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies from the unexplored corners of history. Because history has never been as straight as you think.

Books

On Being Different: What It Means to Be a Homosexual by Merle Miller. Originally published in 1971, On Being Different is a pioneering and thought-provoking book about being homosexual in America. Just two years after the Stonewall riots, Miller wrote an essay for the New York Times Magazine entitled "What It Means To Be a Homosexual" in response to a homophobic article in Harper's Magazine. Miller's writing, described as "the most widely read and discussed essay of the decade," along with an afterword chronicling his inspiration and readers' responses, became On Being Different — one of the earliest memoirs to affirm the importance of coming out.
Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women by Leila J. Rupp. From the ancient poet Sappho to tombois in contemporary Indonesia, women throughout history and around the globe have desired, loved, and had sex with other women. In beautiful prose, Sapphistries tells their stories, capturing the multitude of ways that diverse societies have shaped female same-sex sexuality across time and place.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf. 'The longest and most charming love letter in literature', this book playfully constructs the figure of Orlando as the fictional embodiment of Woolf's close friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West.
Trans Britain: Our Journey From the Shadows by Christine Burns. Over the last five years, trans people have seemed to burst into the public eye: Time declared 2014 a 'trans tipping point', while American Vogue named 2015 'the year of trans visibility'. This apparently overnight emergence, though, is just the latest stage in a long and varied history. Trans Britain chronicles this journey in the words of those who were there to witness a marginalised community grow into the visible phenomenon we recognise today.
Queer History Reading Group. The purpose of this reading group is to provide a forum for scholars – at all stages of their careers and representing a variety of self-defined identities – to discuss queer history in an intellectually rigorous but supportive context. It will do this through a series of grouped and thematic readings dealing with LGBTQUA+ history, theory as well as approaches and pitfalls to its writing.

Films

Paris is Burning. A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
Love, Simon. Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
Pride. UK gay activists work to help miners during their lengthy strike of the National Union of Mineworkers in the summer of 1984.

Websites

PinkNews. PinkNews covers politics, entertainment, religion and community news for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community in the UK and worldwide.
This Way Out. This Way Out is the only internationally distributed weekly LGBTQ radio program, currently airing on some 200 local community radio stations around the world. The award-winning half-hour magazine-style program features a summary of some of the major news events in or affecting the queer community (NewsWrap), in-depth coverage of major events, interviews with key queer figures, plus music, literature, entertainment — all the information and culture of a community on the move!

Articles/Blogs

Jim Farber, New York Times (20 April 2016) Before the Stonewall Uprising, There Was the ‘Sip-In’
Nuala Devenny, The Rainbow Project Stonewall and Me; My Journey to where the revolution began
Garance Franke-Ruta, The Atlantic (24 January 2013) An Amazing 1969 Account of the Stonewall Uprising
American Experience Stonewall Inn: Through the Years
myGwork Why LGBT-Inclusive Education Matters

Videos

Channel 4 (June 2017) Raised By Queers: Kieron Richardson Becomes A Parent! Actor and gay dad Kieron Richardson explores same-sex parenting and introduces his twins.
BBC Three (May 2017) Queer Britain. Presented by YouTuber and journalist Riyadh Khalaf, Queer Britain gets under the skin of queer culture and shines a light on the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

Got something to add?

This page is designed to provide a starting point for members of the Warwick community who want to begin to explore and learn more about refugee issues. If there is something you'd like added to this list of resources, let us know - .