Press release: Exeter LGBT History Festival 2017
Date: 02/11/2016
Website: exeterlgbthistory.org.uk
Contact: Dr Jen Grove (j.e.grove@exeter.ac.uk); Dr Jana Funke (j.funke@exeter.ac.uk)
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The City of Exeter is going to be an official hub for The National Festival of LGBT History, presented by Schools OUT UK.
We are very pleased to announce that for the first time Exeter will join hubs across the country including London, Liverpool, Manchester and our fellow South West hub, Bournemouth, as an official Festival of LGBT History city. 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalization of homosexuality in England and Wales and so the theme for the LGBT History Month in February 2017 will be ‘Law, Citizenship and PSHE’.
Events across Exeter will be exploring the unique and diverse LGBT histories of the South West of England and beyond.
Credit-RAMM
We will begin the festival with an official launch on Saturday 11th February 2017, 3-5pm at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum. At this afternoon event, The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Cynthia Thompson will formally open the Festival and we will hear from a range of voices who have distinctive insights into the history and contemporary lives of LGBT people in the South West and further afield, including:
Jacq Applebee (Bi’s of Colour)
Dr Alan Butler (Plymouth LGBT Archive).
Dr Michael Halls (Intercom Trust)
Natalie McGrath (Dreadnought South West)
Cheryl Morgan (OutStories Bristol)
Tickets are FREE for the launch event but booking is essential, please visit: exeterlgbthistory.org.uk
The main Festival event will be a free, one-day programme of talks on Sunday 12th February 2017 at Exeter Phoenix. We will hear from a wide range of speakers including academics, historians, campaigners, authors, curators and many more. They will be present on many aspects of local and national LGBT history, including:
- How Exeter grassroots movements transformed life for LGBT people in the city
- Whether Oscar Wilde would have used Grindr!
- Bristol’s very recent changing LGBT history
- Chinese underground queer cinema
- Trans women in the Ancient world
- Homosexuality and the Royal Navy during World War I
We are also delighted to welcome two keynote speakers:
Sue Sanders, Chair and Co-founder of SCHOOLS OUT, will present a special talk on the history of this important organisation and its fight for LGBT equality and diversity in education.
Award-winning author and biographer Diana Souhami will talk about her work on women’s and lesbian history, focusing specifically on the British painter, Gluck.
For more details see: exeterlgbthistory.org.uk
There is no need to book tickets for the events on Sunday.
For more information on The Exeter LGBT History Festival 2017 please see: exeterlgbthistory.org.uk
Image Source Wikipedia with permission by CC BY-SA
The Exeter LGBT History Festival 2017 is supported by University of Exeter, Exeter Phoenix, RAMM, Exeter City Council, Intercom Trust and University of Exeter LGBTQ+ Student Society.
