LGBT+ History Month in February is sponsored by the NASUWT and has been celebrated across the UK since 2005, growing each year from strength to strength.
The overall aim of LGBT+ History Month is to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public.
This is done by:
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increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT+”) people, their history, their lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions and the wider community;
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raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community;
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working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT+ communities; and
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promoting the welfare of LGBT+ people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBT+ people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.
LGBT+ History Month has a different, new theme each year. A wide range of events are held throughout the UK, including the NASUWT’s annual LGBTI Teachers’ Consultation Conference.
The theme for 2024 is Medicine – #UnderTheScope
The 2024 theme celebrates LGBT+ peoples’ contribution to the fields of medicine and healthcare, both historically and today.
At a time when the LGBT+ community is experiencing a rise in hate crime and hate instances, the NASUWT encourages members to look ‘Under the Scope’ and listen to the lived experiences of LGBTI people.
NASUWT continues to do this through its consultation events, the next of which takes place on the weekend beginning 29 June.