Stuart Milk to launch OUTing the Past at the People’s History Museum
LGBT History Month Sunday 26 February 2017
www.phm.org.uk @PHMMcr
International human rights activist and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation, Stuart Milk will be taking to the stage to talk about his work and to kick off OUTing the Past, a day of events (26 February) celebrating LGBT+ activism at the People’s History Museum.
He will be the first speaker in a programme packed with eclectic, engaging and insightful talks and performances, covering design, music, photography and the history of LGBT+ activism, all organised to mark LGBT History Month.
From an exploration of trans representation and gender expression in rock music to a journey through hidden photography archives capturing protests from the 1970s, there will be talks and events to illuminate some of the most interesting and often untold areas of LGBT+ history.
The event will culminate in a dramatic performance bringing to life two fascinating historical figures, Frances Power Cobbe, an Irish feminist, journalist and political activist and Mary Charlotte Lloyd, a Welsh artist. The two women met in Rome and were partners for 35 years, during which time they tirelessly campaigned for women and animal rights, helping bring about changes in the law surrounding domestic abuse. The conversation explores the relationship, lives and passions of these incredible women.
OUTing the Past also coincides with the opening of a landmark exhibition at the museum, Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT + Rights. The event will include a series of taster tours exploring the exhibition, which marks 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts in England and Wales (1967 Sexual Offences Act). Developed by nine community curators, it examines the events that took place leading up to the Act taking visitors through the major themes behind the movement, drawing upon the slogans and campaigns that pushed forward the progression towards equality.
OUTing the Past – Highlight events
Talks
Stuart Milk
12.00pm – 1.00pm, Coal Store
Stuart Milk, international human rights activist, LGBT rights speaker, government relations consultant, and youth advocate. As the nephew of iconic civil rights leader Harvey Milk, Stuart has taken his uncle’s message of authenticity, courage and the power of collaboration onto the global stage supporting local, regional and national human rights struggles and emerging LGBT communities on five continents.
Protest photographs from the Hall-Carpenter Archives, Gillian Murphy, LSE
2.00pm – 2.30pm, Archive
The Hall-Carpenter Archives consist of around 2000 boxes of material relating to LGBT activism in the UK. Archivist Gillian Murphy will uncover incredible photographs from early gay demonstrations in the 1970s, organised by the Gay Liberation Front.
Blurring the Lines: Trans representation and gender expression in rock music, Kate Hutchinson, Wipe Out Transphobia
2.00pm – 2.30pm, Coal Store
Kate Hutchinson embarks on a whirlwind journey through the history of trans and gender variant representation in music, exploring how it has helped in changing attitudes and bringing awareness. She will be looking at lyrics in songs from performers such as Lou Reed and The Kinks, through to trans pioneers such as Jayne County and contemporary artists like Laura Jane Grace.
Three decades of HIV/AIDS design, Andrew Dineley, Soft Octopus
2.30pm – 3.00pm, Coal Store
Andrew Dineley is the Creative Director of Soft Octopus Design Studio and has worked with the health, education and charity sectors for three decades, designing many acclaimed public health campaigns, including Liverpool’s first HIV/AIDS materials in the 1980s, when he was employed by the NHS. He now writes about design and runs his own creative studio.
Tours
LGBT History Tour
11.00am – 12.00pm, Main Galleries
A chance for visitors to explore PHM’s galleries to discover how the history of gender and sexuality has been affected by society, politics and activism over the past 200 years.
Taster tours of Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights
1.00pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm
The Community Curators who helped create PHM’s latest ground breaking exhibition will be taking people on taster tours to find out more about the amazing story of the last 50 years of the LGBT+ community’s fight for equality.
Performances
“The oldest New Woman and her incorrigible Welsh friend” Frances Power Cobbe and Mary Charlotte Lloyd in conversation
4.00pm – 5.00pm, Coal Store
A lively conversation in costume with Frances Power Cobbe (b.1822), an Irish feminist, journalist and political activist, and Mary Lloyd (b 1819), a Welsh artist. The conversation explores their relationship and some of the conversations they had between themselves and their fascinating friends about their lives and passions.
Full programme: http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/outing-the-past/
For further information on the People’s History Museum visit www.phm.org.uk and follow @PHMMcr