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 […]