the History of LGBTQ+ people continues to be largely overlooked in school curriculums. Why is that?
It’s so important for children to be exposed to the events that took place in history to bring us to where we are today. As we continue the fight for equal opportunities in a heterosexual, cisgender dominated world, it is important that we reflect upon what we have already achieved. LGBTQ+ history allows students with non-normative sexualities and/or gender identities to be seen and represented in their learning, whilst also increasing awareness of the LGBTQ+ community for all students.
Surveys have shown that one of the biggest worries amongst teachers is their perceived lack of LGBTQ+ content knowledge. To get you started we’ve put together a timeline of some key events in UK LGBTQ+ history.
TIMELINe
AD 117-138
Roman Emperor Hadrian, best known for building Hadrian’s Wall, was the first Roman Emperor to make it clear that he was homosexual. Hadrian made Antinous, a young Bithynian man, his "official consort" (lover).
1567 - 1625
James VI and I reigns as King of Scotland, and later as King of England. James had 3 male lovers during his reign: Lord Esme Stewart (1st Duke of Lennox), Robert Carr (1st Earl of Somerset), and George Villiers (1st Duke of Buckingham).
1812
Female born Dr James Barry graduates from the Medical School of Edinburgh University as a doctor and goes on to serve as an overseas army surgeon. Barry lived as a man but was found to have female anatomy upon his death in 1865.
1835
James Pratt and John Smith are the last men to be hanged under the 1533 Buggery Act in England.
1895
Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde, is tried for gross indecency over a relationship with Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour.
1951
Roberta Cowell becomes the first British transgender woman to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
1952
Alan Turing, one of the most influential code breakers of WWII, is prosecuted for homosexual acts under the Labouchere Amendment of 1885. Whilst reporting a petty burglary, Turing revealed he had a male lover in his house and subsequently found himself under investigation.
1957
The Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution (better known as the Wolfenden report) is published. It advised the British Government that homosexuality should not be illegal.
1967
The Sexual Offences Act decriminalises sex between two men over 21 and ‘in private’. However, this didn’t extend to the Navy, the Armed Forces, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man, where sex between two men remained illegal.
1969
Police raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, leading to 4 days of struggle between police and the LGBTQ+ community. Trans women, queer POC, and queer youth were at the forefront of these “riots”.
1970
The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) is established at the London School of Economics in response to debates over the way LGBTQ+ people in Britain were being treated.
1972
The first UK Pride Rally is held in London, attracting around 2,000 participants.
Today, London Pride attracts up to 1million people, with many other Pride events happening across the UK.
1981
The first UK case of AIDS was recorded when a 49-year-old man was admitted to Brompton Hospital in London. The man died 10 days later.
1982
Terry Higgins dies of an AIDS related illness. His friends and his partner set up the UK’s first AIDS charity, the Terrence Higgins trust.
1984
Chris Smith becomes the first openly out homosexual politician in the UK. When elected he declares: "My name is Chris Smith. I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I'm gay".
1987
The UK’s first specialist HIV ward is opened by Princess Diana. At the opening, she made a point of not wearing protective gloves or a mask when she shook hands with the patients.
1988
Margaret Thatcher introduces Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. The Act stated that councils should not "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.
1989
Stonewall UK is set up to oppose Section 28. The founders include Sir Ian McKellen, Lisa Power MBE, and Lord Cashman CBE.
Stonewall UK works with organisations to bring equality to LGBTQ+ people at home, in school, and in the workplace.
1990
Justin Fashanu became the first professional footballer to come out in the press. Fashanu remains the only male footballer to reveal his sexuality while playing in the top tiers.
1992
The World Health Organisation declassifies same-sex attraction as a mental illness.
The specialised agency of the United Nations, established on 7 April 1948 and headquartered in Geneva, declassified same-sex attraction as a mental illness.
1997
Angela Eagle, Labour MP for Wallasey, becomes the first MP to come out voluntarily as a lesbian.
1999
The Admiral Duncan, a gay pub in Soho, is bombed by former British National Party member David Copeland, killing three people and injuring at least 70.
2000
The Labour government scraps the policy of barring homosexuals from the armed forces.
2000
Scotland abolishes Clause 2a (Section 28) of the Local Government Act, though it remains in place in England and Wales.
2002
Same-sex couples are granted equal rights to adopt.
2003
Section 28, which banned councils and schools from intentionally promoting homosexuality, is repealed in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
2004
The Civil Partnership Act passes, granting civil partnership in the UK giving same-sex couples the same rights as married opposite-sex couples.
2004
The Gender Recognition Act also passed in 2004, giving trans people full legal recognition in their appropriate gender. Right now, gender options are still limited to male/female, so non-binary and gender-fluid people are not currently recognised under the Act.
2010
The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to discrimination against a person based on nine protected characteristics, including gender, sex, gender reassignment, and sexual orientation.
2013
The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed, legalising same-sex marriages in England and Wales.
2014
Laverne Cox is the first transgender woman to win an Emmy as an Executive Producer for Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, a documentary. It aired on MTV.
2014
Legislation to allow same-sex marriage in Scotland is passed by the Scottish Parliament. The legislation took effect on 16th December 2014.
2017
The Children and Social Work Bill is amended, making relationships and sex education (RSE) mandatory in all schools in England and Wales as of 2019. This includes teaching about diverse family structures and relationships.
2020
The 2019 regulations for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland took effect in January 2020. Couples were required to wait 28 days after submitting their intention to marry. The first same-sex wedding took place on 11th February 2020.