What do Dusty Springfield, Alan Turing, Nicola Adams, Alec Guinness and Pedro Almodóvar have in common? Apart from being famous, they are, or were, all members of the LGBT+ community. 

And not just that! They have also all been celebrated at Seaford College during LGBT+ History Month this February with posters on display around the campus, an assembly, and a PSVE lesson where students could discuss the topic. 

Alison Thomas, Head of Politics, and Jack Wilson, Teacher of History & Politics gave an assembly to Years 7 to 13 entitled, ‘The Arc is Long’, a reference to Martin Luther King’s comment that it takes a long time to build a just and civilised society. 

Indeed, male homosexuality in the UK has been targeted by laws since 1533, with the death penalty for homosexual acts being abolished in 1861. The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 made any male homosexual act illegal, although female homosexuality has never been explicitly targeted in legislation. 

It wasn’t until 1957 that the Wolfenden Report concluded that homosexuality could not be considered a disease and should be legalised, although it took another 10 years for it to made law in England. Scotland and Northern Ireland had to wait until 1980 and 1981 respectively for the law to be changed. 

“LGBT+ people have existed throughout all time,” said Alison and Jack. “However, due to LGBT phobic laws and societal attitudes that have existed throughout history, many of the accomplishments and achievements of LGBT+ people are unknown by many today.” 

They went on to say that by highlighting the existence of LGBT+ people from history and their accomplishments, we can celebrate the impact their work has had, and see more clearly what still needs to be achieved. 

Their overall message was about the importance of representation and the progress that has been made in recent years, Alison said: “If you can't see yourself, you can’t be yourself - i.e. if young LGBT+ people do not see themselves represented in the media and positions of authority, it is much harder to aspire to those roles in adulthood. This applies to all historically marginalised people and the importance of representation.”  After the assembly students in their tutor group PSVE sessions discussed two questions; why is it important to see people that look like you and share experiences with you in positions of authority and the media? And why is it also important to see people who do not look like you and share experiences with you in positions of authority and the media?  

You can view the presentation here: LGBT+ History Month