LGBT History Month

Learn more about the Trans community this February with exhibitions, stories, walks, gigs and more

This year’s national LGBT History Month celebrates prominent musicians that represent different strands of the LGBT spectrum. Benjamin Britten, for example, was a hugely influential and important gay composer, who wrote many of his most moving pieces for his muse and lover Sir Peter Pears. Angela Morley, who remained married to her wife after transitioning, wrote music for TV shows such as Dallas, and the theme for the seminal comedy series Hancock’s Half Hour.

The LGBT History Month is an initiative of Schools OUT, which works to make schools safer spaces for all LGBT people. They’ve created resources for schools, such as inclusive music lessons on The Classroom website. These are intended to help ‘usualise’ and ‘actualise’ LGBT people in order to educate out prejudice.

As you might expect from our inclusive city, Brighton has a wealth of events on offer. Jubilee Library focuses on the Trans community in particular, with the Trans*formers youth project showing their photographic exhibition ‘Being Human’ from now until Sunday 16 February. You can pop in for an informal chat about LGBT fostering and adoption on Tuesday 11 February between 5pm–7pm, or talk to a human ‘book’ who will answer questions about sexual orientation, mental health and other topics on Wednesday 26 February, 12pm–4pm (both events free of charge).

Trans performers and poets will be telling personal stories on Saturday 15 February, 2pm–4pm, including Persia West reading from her new book Just Be Kind and EJ Scott talking about Brighton Trans*formed (Jubilee Library, free). You can also drop in and listen to oral history stories from the Trans*formed project on CD listening posts, or watch James Tuckers’ documentary Trans Symposium on the library’s Wii at any time.
If you like some fresh air with your history then you could try Piers & Queers’ 80 minute walking tour for an insight into the astonishing personalities from Brighton’s LGBT past, hosted by comedian Ric Morris (War Memorial Statue, Regency Square, Sunday 16 February, 12pm, £8).

If you’d prefer a more musical celebration however, Femrock are putting on a special birthday party, showcasing Brighton’s best female-fronted bands Astrid’s Tea Party, Arx, Emily Franklin and more, plus comedian Holly Handfuls. Head to Green Door Store to help raise funds for Mind Out, an LGBT mental health project for Brighton & Hove (Wednesday 19 February, 7pm, £4).

You can find out more about all of the events in February, LGBT musicians on the online timeline and also the Schools OUT initiative at www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk

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