Today, Birmingham LGBT has received £49,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting new project, ‘Coming Out’, in Birmingham. Led by young LGBT people from the local community, the project focuses on peoples coming out stories in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The project will enable young LGBT people to discover the political, social and personal context of ‘coming out’ and what it has meant to LGBT people, within living memory.
Birmingham LGBT is an organisation that works with the LGBT community in Birmingham, and will help 50 participants from across the city to get involved in this project. Working with Out Central youth group and other young people, Coming Out will give the young participants the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into this previously under-researched part of their history, as well as teaching them valuable new skills to use as they develop their careers.
Commenting on the award, David Viney from Birmingham LGBT said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and are confident the project will support young people to be active citizens, boost their confidence and take pride in their LGBT Heritage.”
Reyahn King, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “This project, supported under HLF’s Young Roots programme, will span generations with younger members of the LGBT community interviewing their elders to put hitherto untold stories on record and into the city’s archives.”
Notes to Editors:
About the Heritage Lottery Fund
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported over 35,000 projects with more than £5.6bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk.
For further information, images and interviews, please contact
David Viney at Birmingham LGBT on 01216430821 or davidviney@blgbt.org
