LGBTQ+ History Month 2024
2024
2024
LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated every February in the UK.
It’s a time to learn, share, and celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s also an opportunity to promote understanding, acceptance, and rights for all people inclusive of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
2024’s theme is ‘Medicine – #UnderTheScope’. This theme is celebrating LGBTQ+ peoples’ contribution to medicine and healthcare, historically and today.
This page has more information about events, resources and support at the University of Exeter and beyond. It will be updated regularly, so do check back so you don't miss out. If you have anything you would like listed here, or you want to organise an event, please email EDI@exeter.ac.uk.
You can also find out more about LGBTQ+ History Month online.
A message from Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor
February is LGBTQ+ History Month, and provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer or Questioning community. The month also gives us the chance to reflect on how we can create a more inclusive and safer environment for everybody, so that all are free to be their true selves. We all have a collective responsibility to help foster an inclusive environment, and each and every one of us has the power to influence others through our own supportive and respectful behaviour.
Over the last 12 months, our University has taken further steps to becoming an even more inclusive employer...
Read more in our LGBTQ+ History Month 2024 newsletter
PRISM Exeter Queer Science Competition
PRISM Exeter - in partnership with the Intercom Trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and the University of Exeter - is challenging secondary school, college, and university students across the South West to discover lesser-known LGBTQ+ scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians and medics and celebrate them.
Whose life and/or work do you find inspiring, and why?
One winner will receive a cash prize of £100 and two runners-up will each receive a cash prize of £50. You can find out more about how to enter the Queer Science Competition on the PRISM Exeter website.
Events, resources and support
The following events are open to University of Exeter students and staff.
Students' Guild and Students' Union
Visit the University of Exeter Students' Guild and Students' Union websites for more events and resources.
Wellbeing and Inclusion Fair (Penryn)
- Wednesday 7 February, 12-3pm
- Penryn Campus, Upper Stannary
- Contact: r.preston@exeter.ac.uk
Meet LGBTQ+ organisations, student societies, and staff networks at our Wellbeing and Inclusion Fair. This event is open to LGBTQ+ staff and students, and allies.
HIV testing with the Eddystone Trust
- Friday 9 February, 11am-3pm
- Streatham Campus, Forum Building
- Contact: info@eddystone.org.uk
Come along to the Forum to get free HIV testing with the Eddystone Trust.
Lecture: (How) can we change our worlds? Doing theology otherwise
- Monday 12 February, 4-5pm
- Hybrid, Streatham Campus and online
- Book online
Explore what principles of transformation (rather than restoration) mean for theology and institutions, with Professor Susan Cornwall from our Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences department.
Talk: 5,000 years of recorded gender history and diversity
- Wednesday 14 February, 3-5pm
- Penryn Campus, Exchange Green
- Book online
Join the Intercom Trust to reflect on gender diversity from a global perspective, including how colonialism, racism, cultural identities, the patriarchy, misogyny, and legislation relate to transphobia and gender identity.
Film screening: Pride
- Wednesday 21 February, 5:30pm
- Penryn Campus, Exchange Lecture Theatre
- Book online
Join Kemeneth and the SU Pride Society to watch the film 'Pride'. This event is open to all (including students and staff), but please be mindful that this is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
Quiz: Staff versus students
- Friday 23 February, 6pm
- Old Ale House, Truro
- Book online
Get ready to test your knowledge on all things LGBT+ history and culture. Don't worry if you're not an expert - this quiz is all about having a great time and coming together and raising money for charity.
Talk: Queer necromancer monks at the late medieval university
- Tuesday 27 February, 5:45-6:45pm
- Streatham Campus, Forum Seminar Room 2
- Book online
This talk will analyse how monks attracted to other men and gender non-conforming monks used ritual magic as an unconscious tool in the late medieval university environment to perform their masculinity.
Panel event: #UnderTheScope
- Wednesday 28 February, 12:30-1:30pm
- St Luke’s Campus
- Book online
Celebrate LGBTQ+ peoples’ contribution to Medicine and Healthcare, historically and today, with our Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences.
Journal Club: Cultural competency for health professionals
- Thursday 29 February, 12-1pm
- Online (Zoom)
Join the Journal Club to discuss a BioMed Central (BMC) paper on LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for health professionals: A systematic review.
Film screening: Every Body
- Thursday 1 February, 8pm
- The Poly, Falmouth
- Book online
Watch the stories of River Gallo, Alicia Roth Weigel, and Sean Saifa Wall who advocate for greater understanding of the intersex community and ending unnecessary surgeries.
Film screening: Bros
- Friday 2 February, 7pm
- Exmouth Library
- Book online
Join Exmouth Library and Exmouth Pride to watch the film 'Bros'.
Pride in Plymouth takeover
- Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 February, various times
- The Drum, Plymouth
- Book online
Enjoy a series of performances, presentations and discussions.
Exhibition: Legacies and afterlives of Section 28
- Saturday 10 February, 10am-3pm
- Prospect Park, Exeter
- Sign up
Learn more about the legaccies and afterlives of Section 28 in Exeter and the South West with the Intercom Trust's exhibition.
Family Pride
- Thursday 15 February, 11am-3pm
- Barnstaple
- Book online
Join Sunrise Diversity and Intercom Trust to promote and celebrate equality, diversity and social inclusion in rural communities in Northern Devon.
Talk: Learn about Cornwall's Queer history
- Tuesday 20 February, 6-7pm
- Online
- Book online
Join Queer Kernow to learn about Cornwall's Queer history.
University of Exeter
- University of Exeter Library: Explore our Library's collection of LGBTQ+ resources, books, films, archive material and more.
- LGBTQ+ Staff Network: Our staff network's Pronouns at work (PDF, 280KB) guidance explains what pronouns are, why they're important, and how to use pronouns at work. You can also find out more about student societies and staff networks at the end of this page.
Arts and culture
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM): Explore the Exeter Rainbow Trail which looks at gender and sexuality diversity across time, space and culture. You can also learn more about the Queering the Museum project online.
History and heritage
- Historic England: Learn more about England's LGBTQ+ heritage.
- National Archives: Watch and listen to LGBTQ+ histories and stories.
- Queer Kernow: Explore an interactive map of queer Cornish history. Queer Kernow will be at our Wellbeing and Inclusion Fair (Penryn Campus, Upper Stannary) on Wednesday 7 February, 12-3pm. You can also read Queer Kernow zines at Kemeneth (our Cornwall LGBTQ+ network) events.
Media
- BBC: Explore LGBTQ+ stories on iPlayer.
Research and statistics
- National Archives: Search for records on sexuality and gender history.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS): Read more about the 2021 Census which asked about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time. You can also find further analysis on what the results tell us about LGBTQ+ people in England and Wales from the House of Commons Library.
- Eddystone Trust provides HIV and sexual health services across the South West.
- Galop is an LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity. They work with and for LGBTQ+ victims and survivors of interpersonal abuse and violence.
- Intercom Trust is an LGBTQ+ charity offering one-to-one support, counselling, training, and consultancy, covering Devon and Cornwall.
- It's All About You Wellbeing supports LGBTQ+ communities in South West England and wellbeing professionals working alongside them.
- Mermaids supports trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse children and young people, as well as their families and professionals involved in their care.
- MindOut is a mental health service run by and for LGBTQ+ people.
- Stonewall is an LGBTQ+ charity and the largest LGBTQ+ rights organisation in Europe.
- Student Space is text, webchat, 'phone, and email service for students.
- The University of Exeter LGBTQ+ Equality pages provide support, advice, and information for LGBTQ+ staff and students, as well as friends, colleagues, and allies.
