In Memory of Lyra McKee – LGBT History Month 2022
The tragic death of Lyra McKee – a distinguished young journalist and avid LGBT rights campaigner – caused shock, grief and anguish across communities in Northern Ireland and beyond in 2019. Tragic, in that her fight for equal rights for all saw her shot during violent reactions to police raids in a residential area of […]
Angela Davis on changing the things you cannot accept – LGBT History Month 2022
I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept. From the segregated southern states to the height of academia, via inclusion on the “FBI Most Wanted” list, Angela Davis has lived an extraordinary life. Angela is a political activist, academic, author and civil rights champion, campaigning […]
Gus Van Sant and My Own Private Idaho – LGBT History Month 2022
In the run up to summer of 1992 whilst taking a break from A Level English revision, I went with a friend to see a then relatively unknown film called My Own Private Idaho. I had been expecting some light relief after many hours spent learning quotes from Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part One, but was […]
Audre Lorde and being the outsider – LGBT History Month 2022
Audre Lorde was born in New York in 1934 to Caribbean immigrant parents. She learned to read and write at the age of four and wrote her first poem in the eighth grade, and at fifteen her first poem was published in Seventeen magazine. She graduated from Hunter College in 1959 and completed her Master’s […]
Olly Alexander and It’s a Sin – LGBT History Month 2022
The work Olly Alexander has done raising awareness about mental health was the first thing which inspired me, especially as he’s a younger person like me. He’s relatable, open and willing to discuss things which people often avoid. I was really lucky when I was younger – I only had a bit of bullying – […]
Elizabeth Taylor, the “Joan of Arc of AIDS” – LGBT History Month 2022
Liz Taylor and her lifestyle are not particularly aligned to my personal values and moral code. I’m not seduced by men, diamonds or money. I’m not impressed by synthetic opulence or social climbing, and I have no desire for fame or fortune. So why am I writing my piece for LGBT History month on Elizabeth […]
Marking and Honouring the Achievements of David Stuart (1967-2022) – LGBT History Month 2022
Like so many others, I was saddened to hear of the sudden death of David Stuart, a person whose career, passion and continued contribution to the LGBT community I admire. I met David a couple of years ago, when I got to feel his deep-rooted love and energy for community work. His deep knowledge and […]
Black History Month Blog: My Coming Out Journey by Peter Rowe
I was born to West Indian parents in Birmingham 1967, and from the age of five to 15 I was raised by my father and stepmother. My relationship with my stepmother was very turbulent from day one. One of my earliest memories is of her calling me a “girl’s blouse” or a “puff” due to […]
Black History Month Blog: Colour Memories with my mother by Dan Singh
I have been raised in a culture where I was constantly reminded of how fair my brown skin was; and how lighter skin was more desirable than darker skin. I still remember the coarse feeling of my grandmother trying to rub my face with her chunni (a long Indian head scarf). It one of my […]
Black and Gay
This post was written by our BME MSM Sexual Health Outreach Worker, Peter Rowe. I am a 50 year-old black gay male. I came across the gay scene in Birmingham by accident. At the age of 16, I came to live in the Highgate area of Birmingham. On walking into town, I kept seeing men […]