Posts in category: Articles of Interest

Over time Support U has hosted a number of different project focused around raising awareness about the LGBT+ community, its needs and the problems it faces today. Perhaps the most iconic and best known of these projects has been Hidden Voices. This involved the creation of educational resources to teach about the LGBT+ history of Reading to both children and adults in a way that was visually appealing to the eyes.
With help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Support U has been able to send education packs to over one hundred and eighty schools in the Reading Area, each pack containing a fully illustrated booklet, several accompanying leaflets, a CD containing the personal testimonies, and the new postcards from our #UseLessHate campaign. We also hosted weekly talks in conjunction with the Reading Museum which took a different topic each week. From Wilfred Owen to Oscar Wilde and life in the WRAF.

Lorna McArdle, one of the projects main developers was all too happy to answer a few of the questions which have been listed below along with our latest video based on the project;

Q. What first inspired you to create the Hidden Voices project?
A. It always intrigued me as to how the LGBT community meet up before the internet, and I couldn’t be the only one who wondered. I did some research and found that there wasn’t anything for our area, so I put a concept together and we created the first LGBT History of Reading.
Q. What is your favourite part of the booklet?
A. I love looking at the old photos of when people met up in these back of nowhere clubs that was hidden from the public due to having to hide.
Q. Do you feel that the project has had a positive impact on the Reading area?
A. I feel that the project was able to open some eyes to what it was like only 20 years ago for those who were LGBT. The hiding and being scared of being outed was a big issue for many. I hope that the up and coming generation get to understand what it could of been like if those of the previous generation hadn’t pushed for the equality in the first place.

To find out more about the Hidden Voices project, check out the website: http://www.lgbthiddenvoices.org.uk/

By Peter/Ethel Thurston

As we slowly sail out of the haze that is the January slump of many broken New Year’s resolutions it is doubtful that many of us have even thought about the next major event. That is a little different for the LGBT+ community. For us the start of February brings a new technicoloured horizon that is LGBT+ history month. Less an event, more a period, LGBT+ history month is time put aside to remember the people lost as well as the things achieved within the LGBT+ community.

The event first started in 2005 as the continuation of celebrations the abolition of section 28 which decreed that local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or pubwlish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

It is a time to reflect with memorials for victims of homophobia/transphobia, such as gay war hero Alan Turing and trans woman Vicky Thompson. While separated by sixty years of British history, both committed suicide after receiving inhuman treatment at the hands of the law. But it’s not all sorrow and tears, LGBT+ history month is so much more.

Whilst we must never forget those who died at the hands of maltreatment we must also remember those who lived life on their own terms like Wilfred Owen and Michael Dillon as well as countless people alive today. It is a time for us to celebrate life in a society that even with its flaws is showing a rapid desire to improve. For Alan Turing an official apology took fifty years, for Vicky Thompson it happened almost immediately in the form of an inquiry and a follow up policy review. Whilst too late for Vicky herself the changes should go on to help save lives in future.

But it goes beyond that. In the last several years we have seen the legalization of gay marriage, a decrease in tolerance towards homophobic, biphobic and transphobic crime as well as increasing societal awareness that not just the L and the G exist, but also the B, the T and all those unified under the plus. Some people have even called this the year of the trans activist. Whilst I would hesitate to go that far it is undeniable that conversations which should have taken place long ago are finally coming to light, a light which makes it very hard for hate and intolerance to continue unchallenged.

So ultimately when reflecting on the history of the LGBT+ movement I want you to remember this; it’s getting better.

It’s a sad time for journalism at the moment in my opinion.  I’m trying to break out as a trans columnist writing articles that require research, investigation, talking to people and providing an unbiased viewpoint of the world, somewhat uniquely focussed through the lens of my experiences as a trans woman going through all the trials and tribulations of transition (yes, I can do alliteration as well).

And then ‘writers’ like Richard Littlejohn and Jeremy Clarkson step in and start talking about being transgender.

Now I could go down the usual route here of spittle-filled diatribe about how ridiculously out of touch they are (not that I’m saying they aren’t).  But the simple fact is they represent the old school of journalism.  The one where you didn’t need to do any research, know anything about the subject which they were speaking about and could just drop in a few highly inappropriate jokes at the expense of the subject matter.  Thankfully they’ve (mostly) stepped away from being blatantly misogynistic and racist these days, however it seems that newer areas that spring up are still viable.

Is transphobia just ‘acceptable’ racism?

The worrying part is a certain section of the general public still find this amusing, which means these dinosaurs can still get column-inches dedicated to their own brand of journalism.  However I can’t see this lasting in the longer term.  A significant portion of readers are becoming more educated, more aware of human rights across the board and more accepting of alternative lifestyle, sexuality and gender.  People are becoming *individuals* – perish the thought.

The much maligned (by Messrs Clarkson and Littlejohn) ‘yoof’ of today is way more open about standing out from the crowd.  Individuality, self-expression, exploration and creativity are the buzz-words today.  Recent studies have shown young adults quite happy about identifying as bisexual or exploring their sexuality, coming out as gender fluid and being inspired by new stars such as Ruby Rose, Jaden Smith and Miley Cyrus.

So I actually feel sorry for the Richards and Jeremy’s of this world – they are on their last wallow as the prehistoric beasts that they are – soon to become extinct as the newer wave of journalism continues to spring forth.  Plenty of readers are crying for stories that promote individuality, experience, fact over opinion but also flavoured with a dose of reality that doesn’t revolve around tweed jackets and high-octane cars.

The biggest irony for me is that I grew up on Top Gear.  I tried being the macho guy for a while, listening about cars and laughing at the fool antics around caravans.  I can still identify with quite a of those traits – coming out as trans doesn’t mean that I have to be all girly, I’m an individual and define my own gender.  I can still fix a car should the need arise, can do DIY better than quite a few husbands I know and know which way up a map goes.  Those traits aren’t ‘masculine’ – they are just traits.  However internally I feel incredibly feminine, and having come out to friends as trans an awful lot of them have realised that the femininity has always been there.  Plus women get *way* cooler clothes.

I think that’s part of what these prehistoric journos fear though – the world is forever changing around them, and they are still churning out the same thing.  Part of what I do revolves around being entrepreneurial and that means new ideas, new concepts and almost constant innovation.  Those are pretty alien concepts to those brontosaurs.  It’s almost like the record has broken, and sometime in the near future people are going to want to throw out the record player and just stream the message instead!

However it also bears thinking about the thousands of trans people out there (yes, Jeremy, there are literally thousands – not believing a fact doesn’t make it untrue) who already have enough to deal with in life right now.  Being trans just adds to all the standard pressures the people face day in day out – it’s like we’re doing life on hard mode and it’s not like we got to choose it that way.  I help run trans support services in Berkshire so I’m dealing with real cases and real trans people on a week to week basis – I see the problems these people go through with my own eyes and ears and having a supposedly educated person in an Ivory Tower telling me they don’t exist is frankly just denying reality and insulting in equal measures.

 

Written by Nick Musson

On January 27^th to mark Holocaust Memorial Day members of the LGBT community, Jewish Faith, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others affected by the Holocaust encourage that you ‘Don’t Stand By’, and remember those that lost their lives.

The Holocaust is one of the darkest moments in human history in which nearly 11 million people lost their lives. However it would appear that we haven’t learnt from the causes of this event. The persecution and genocide of sections of society still take place in various countries around the world, because we as a society are stuck in a self perpetuating loop of fear,  hate and discrimination. The main reason for such discrimination is due to the various labels that we are assigned throughout our lives. They serve to define and divide us. It is through misunderstanding and ignorance that persecution as seen during the Holocaust is allowed to take place. However through education, promoting awareness and acceptance these issues can be resolved. During the holocaust sections of society were forced to wear physical labels which singled them out, heightening discrimination through the promotion of an ‘us and them’ mentality. These labels were made public for everyone to see; Homosexuals were branded with a pink triangle, the Jewish faith a yellow Star of David and political enemies and professional criminals a red and green triangle respectively. Still 60 years later labels are the facilitator for discrimination and persecution around the world. Allowing us to divide society into ‘us and them’. Until that stops we must not stand by.

However during such atrocities there are those who ‘Don’t Stand By’. Those who take action and speak out. It is only after some many years later that their efforts come to light. As of 2016, some 25,685 individuals from 49 countries have been recognised and awarded the ‘righteous of nations’ award for taking a stand against the Nazi regime and helping to save the lives of innocent individuals. These are just those that we are aware of. There are undoubtedly many more who stood up and Holocaust Memorial Day is just as much about them as it is the victims. A chance to remember those who put their lives on the line to protect the rights and safety of others.

This year the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘Don’t Stand By’, it’s a simple phrase but has a big message which can help to challenge discrimination and bring about positive change. In the current climate of war, religious hostility and the ongoing discrimination of many. It brings about the importance of days such at the Holocaust Memorial Day. Whilst a simple action to us might seem just that. To someone else it could mean the world of difference. The positive action of one person can influence the minds and actions of others.

This Holocaust Memorial Day is held in association with Thames Valley Police, My Umbrella, Acre and Support U. A vigil to remember those who fell victim to the awful events of the Holocaust will take place on Wednesday 27^th at 7pm by the Trooper Potts Memorial Statue outside Forbury Hotel. By remembering the events of the past, we can learn from them, in the hope that such things don’t happen again.