History II: Peace, Reconciliation and Activism
As we move into the summer and the Pride season starts to get into full swing, we’re looking forward to next February, and its chosen curriculum theme of History.
This will be the second time we have visited this subject, and it seems appropriate as 2019 will be the centenary of the end of World War One – hence peace and reconciliation. Next year will also mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark Stonewall riots in New York, which inspired the modern gay right movement, so we felt it fitting to pay tribute to the birth of that activism.
February is also when we highlight the lives of LGB and T icons from history; people whose stories have been erased, straightened or simply omitted from most heteronormative text books. People whose lives reflect and exemplify the year’s theme, and who deserve to be rediscovered by new generations of LGBT people.
Our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Faces of 2019 are:
Marielle Franco (1979-2018)
Brazilian politician, feminist, and human rights activist murdered in March of this year.
Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935)
German Jewish physician, sexologist and advocate for sexual minorities.
James Kirkup (1918-2009)
English poet, translator and travel writer. In 1977 Gay News published his poem, ‘The Love That Dares to Speak Its Name’, and was prosecuted by Mary Whitehouse for blasphemous libel.
Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)
African-American gay liberation activist, and drag queen. Johnson co-founded the group STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries).
