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Thanks on Behalf of Schools OUT

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Schools OUT(UK) extends a BIG THANK YOU to all of the literally thousands of people that attended one or more of last month’s OUTing the Past events during February 2017’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans History Month.
This stunning success of the 3rd National Festival of LGBT History was only made possible by the endeavour of hundreds of volunteers, museums and libraries not least our Festival Hub Partners in: Bournemouth, Coventry, Exeter, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Shrewsbury, York and the five London Hubs: British Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Archive @ Kew, National Maritime Museum & Victoria & Albert Museum – congratulations!
None of this remarkable success could have been achieved without another small army of volunteers who traveled in some cases hundreds of miles to Festival Hubs to present their fascinating insights into our collective LGBT Past. Over the next few weeks, many of our Festival colleagues and friends who made this celebration possible will be sharing their experiences of OUTing the Past 2017 on our blog pages.
LGBT history has been deliberately ignored or denied by ‘professional’ historians until very recently and still assiduously withheld in the classrooms of the vast majority of schools and colleges to this day! That OUTing the Past has now for the third consecutive year wrested from the closet, showcased, celebrated and shared with thousands of people keen to learn a history they had been previously were understandably ignorant whose existence was and is denied.
The festival theatre is a crucial part of the work we are doing as it is enabling history through the heart. The plays were a celebration of two events that were a pivotal point in gay and lesbian history respectively. Alan Horsfall, one of the 2017 faces, was pivotal in the seventies in pulling together the various groups that were challenging the oppressive culture and laws against homosexuals.
Mary Winter’s refusal to take off her lesbian liberator badge off her bus drivers uniform was an act of revolution that inspired many including Vanessa Redgrave!
The Burnley plays were a sell out in both Burnley, where the events of both plays took place, and Liverpool and moved the audience mightily – tears were shed, laughter was heard! Russell T Davies finally, after financially supporting us for the last 3 years, was able to come and was visibly thrilled with the 2 pieces and commented on the fact he had noticed a completely new concept of time travel! Also, all will be pleased to note that the plays were filmed, so we will have a vital resource for our work.
We will soon be asking for submissions for next year so do keep an eye out and consider submitting – we are so pleased to get offers, as are the hubs!
We could not do this this without the support of so many people and organisations who have supported us in kind and/or financially. To say we do it on a shoe string is to exaggerate!
Please see all the logos below of the wonderful supporters we are grateful to and check out pictures from both OUTing the Past and the academic conference SEXing the Past here and by Zefrographica on our Flickr here
See you next Year!
2017Sponsors
www.schools-out.org.uk Registered in England as a charitable incorporated organisation number 1156352.
www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk  www.the-classroom.org.uk www.lgbthistorymonth.co.uk
Our Distinguished Academic Patrons: Alison Oram (Professor in Social and Cultural History, Leeds Becket University), Harry Cocks (Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, University of Nottingham), Matt Cook (Professor Matt Cook, History & Gender Studies at Birkbeck, University of London), Sheila Rowbotham (Professor, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester), Charles Upchurch (Associate Professor of History, Florida State University), Jeffrey Weeks (Research Professor, Arts & Human Sciences/Social Sciences, London South Bank University) and Stephen Whittle (Professor of Equalities Law in the School of Law, Manchester Metropolitan University).
Our Academic Advisory Panel (History): Dr Emma Vickers (Liverpool John Moores University), Dr Helen Smith (University of Lincoln), Dr Fia Sundevall (Stockholm University), Dr Jana Funke (University of Exeter), Dr Jeff Evans (Manchester Metropolitan University), Dr Jen Grove (University of Exeter),  Prof Molly Merryman (Ken State University), Prof Ken Valente (Colgate University, NY) and Prof Rainer Schulze (University of Essex).