What does LGBTQ+ mean?
In exploring gender diversity and same-sex love we are using the acronym LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer) and seeking to acknowledge the widest diversity of lives and experiences.
‘LGBTQ+’ is widely accepted as an inclusive term to reference the diversity of gender and sexuality that go beyond the ‘hetero-normative’ (that is, binary definitions of gender and of ‘one man with one woman’) conventions.
‘Queer’ was once a term of abuse that has now largely been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community. It has also begun to be used as a term that encompasses all aspects of difference across gender and sexuality. It is a way to look at gender and sexuality as a spectrum rather than a series of definite, fixed categories.
We have adopted the approach taken by Historic England in their recent Pride of Place project and acknowledge that ‘in the past, as today, there is no single LGBTQ+ community, terminology or uniform identity that defines all LGBTQ+ people or heritage’.
The 2017 anniversary
2017 marked 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act (1967), which partially decriminalised homosexuality in England. A wide variety of museums (e.g. British Museum, V&A, Brighton Museums, People’s History Museum), heritage organisations (Historic England, Heritage Open Days), Parliament, the media and many others marked and celebrated LGBTQ+ culture and heritage. We all have an opportunity to understand our heritage better as we reflect on the legacy of those LGBTQ+ individuals whose stories have not been fully told.
In Prejudice and Pride we built upon the work of Historic England’s Pride of Place project. We are working with LGBTQ+ equality charity Stonewall and academics at Leicester University to ensure a strong legacy for LGBTQ+ histories at our places beyond 2017.
