Celebrating Diversity: How Students Can Get Involved in LGBT+ History Month UK
LGBT+ History Month in the UK takes place every February. It is a vital part of the calendar that recognises the LGBTQ+ community and the history of struggle and celebration over many years that has got us to where we are today.
Love between LGBTQ+ people has existed for as long as humans have been on the planet, and as the fight for equality and acceptance by all continues, LGBT+ History Month is an important part of every year to hear stories, to look back on some icons from the community and to celebrate each other.
The importance of LGBT+ History Month
LGBT+ History Month is observed for the whole of February every month, celebrating the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. It is also a time used to reflect, to look back on the history of gay rights and civil rights movements, the growth of Pride worldwide and the strength the community has shown to get to where we are today.
The theme in 2025 is ‘Activism and Social Change’, highlighting the role of LGBTQ+ people in key movements and moments of political change and struggle in the past.
A timeline of important LGBTQ+ moments in the UK
This month is a good time to look back on the struggles of LGBTQ+ people in the UK and to see how far things have come over the last hundred years, but there is still some way to go.
Homosexuality was outlawed as far back as the 1500s and was only partially decriminalised as recently as 1967. It was only since then that homosexuality was no longer treated as a mental illness. Some of the important moments in LGBT+ history in the UK include:
• 1951 – Roberta Cowell is the first known British trans woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery.
• 1966 – The Beaumont Society is formed to provide information and awareness about transgender people and to offer support for the community.
• 1967 – The Sexual Offences Act decriminalises sex between two men over the age of 21 ‘in private’.
• 1969 – The Stonewall riots occurred in New York City, a landmark moment in the struggle for LGBT movements the world over.
• 1988 – Section 28 is introduced in the UK, a major step backwards for the LGBTQ+ community, as it banned the promotion of homosexuality or publishing of materials that promoted homosexuality in schools. Stonewall UK was formed in direct response to the legislation and has become the largest LGBT organisation in Europe.
• 2000 – The ban on lesbian, gay, and bisexual people serving in the British Army was lifted.
• 2002 – Same sex couples receive equal rights for adoption.
• 2003 – Section 28 was repealed in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• 2004 – The Gener Recognition Act was passed, allowing for transgender people to legally identify with their chosen gender.
• 2013 – The first Trans Pride event takes place in Brighton, involving 450 people. The first march in London in 2019 saw over 1,500 people attend.
• 2014 – The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act comes into effect in England and Wales. Same-sex marriage would be legalised in Northern Ireland in 2020.
• 2019 – World Health Organisation declassifies transgender health issues as mental illness, a significant change for Trans people worldwide.
Icons of the LGBTQ+ community
There are some iconic figures in the history of the LGBTQ+ community. We’ve selected a few to look at more closely.
1. Ivor Cummings
Known as ‘the gay father of the Windrush Generation’, Cummings was born in Hartlepool in 1913 and was the first Black British official in the then British Colonial Office.
He was the official representative to meet the Empire Windrush ship as it docked in Essex and helped West Indian immigrants to find housing and work in the following weeks and months.
He is reported to not have hidden his sexuality as a homosexual man, despite this being illegal at the time he was working in the Colonial Office, from 1941.
2. Olaudah Equiano
Equiano wrote a novel, ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano; or, Gustavus Vassa, the African’, following his own experiences as a slave.
Born in 1745, in what is now Nigeria, Equiano was enslaved and sold to a Royal Navy officer and sold twice more before buying his freedom in 1766. He became involved in the movement to abolish slavery in Britain and published his autobiography in 1789.
It is considered an accurate reflection of what life was like as a gay or bisexual African man in the 17800s.
3. Charlie Kiss
Kiss was an anti-nuclear activist, a trade unionist, and the first transgender man to run for parliament in the UK when he stood for the Green Party in 2015.
His work was instrumental in the Green Party’s adoption of trans-inclusive policies, and he campaigned for better support and funding in the NHS for trans individuals.
4. Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was born in 1838 and was co-founder of the National Trust. One of the most important social reformers of the Victorian age, she coined the term ‘The green belt’ and campaigned for open spaces and greater recreational opportunities in inner-city London.
She did this alongside campaigning for improvements in social housing and the development of modern social work. Hill was thought to have had relationships with women and is buried with her partner of 30 years, Harriet Yorke.
5. Annie Kenney
Born in 1879, Kenney was the only working-class woman to hold a senior position in the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and was a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement.
She interrupted a Manchester rally to ask then Oldham MP Winston Churchill if he believed women had the right to vote, which was a key moment in the history of the movement.
Kenney is known for having close relationships within the suffragette movement, including Christabel Pankhurst.
How to get involved with LGBT+ History Month
There are lots of ways that you can get involved with LGBT+ History Month in the UK. Look out for events in your university and in the local area, raise awareness by inviting a charity to talk about LGBT+ history to an event you have planned.
Start a campaign if you feel there is something lacking in your student union or university in terms of awareness and equality, such as gender-neutral bathrooms, and read, watch, and listen, about LGBT+ history in as many forms as you can, building your own knowledge base.
LGBT+ History Month is a great opportunity for students to learn, support, and celebrate the community. Whether you attend events, join discussions, or advocate for inclusivity, every action helps make a difference.
We are always keen to hear your stories and showcase different events and points in the calendar during the year, such as Pride Events in the UK. Stay engaged, get involved, and continue celebrating diversity beyond this month.
If you are looking for accommodation for the next year, then you are in the right place. Visit our Urban Student Life website and browse through a range of properties all across the UK. We are sure you will find something that caters to all your needs!