In celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month this year, we were pleased to welcome back Sue Sanders and OUTing the Past for an online event.

We heard from speakers on a range of LGBTQ+ subjects, including on the contested history of the Gay Liberation Front and an oral testimony about being transgender.

Speakers included Lisa Power, Katie Robinson, Dr Ju Gosling FRSA, and Bethan Rees. Hear the stories they shared as part of the night below, and scroll down to discover more about our speakers.

One of our speakers, Lisa Power, is the author of No Bath But Plenty of Bubble: Stories from the London Gay Liberation Front and discussed the history of this LGBTQ+ activist group.

2020 marked 50 years of the UK branch of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), which had its first meeting at the London School of Economics' campus in October 1970.

Throughout the 1970s, the GLF initiated an anarchic campaign that permanently changed the face of Britain. Inspired by the Stonewall uprisings in the US, the GLF demanded "Absolute Freedom For All" worldwide.⁠⠀
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The activist group saw LGBTQ+ liberation as including housing rights, universal healthcare, economic freedom, and so much more. The GLF were a vital part of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and we're honoured to hold several of their materials.

During OUTing the Past, Lisa Power talked us through images of the organisation, which you can scroll through below:

We were pleased to be joined at OUTing the Past by speakers Lisa Power, Katie Robinson, Dr Ju Gosling FRSA, and Bethan Rees.

Discover more about their work below:

Lisa Power

A self-proclaimed, "queer old dyke", Lisa Power came out in the 70s and has been interfering in things ever since.

She spent 14 years on Switchboard, 17 years with Terrence Higgins Trust, and is currently a Trustee of Queer Britain. She is also on the London Mayor’s Advisory Committee on EDI.

You can catch up on Lisa's panel discussion with Queer Britain about "It's A Sin" here: vimeo.com/512433218

Katie Robinson

Katie lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire, but was born and raised in Doncaster. She’s married to a wonderful wife, who Katie says deserves far better than her. They have two amazing daughters, and five of the most awe-inspiring grandchildren anyone could wish for.

Katie is transgender, male to female, and working her way through transition while living full time in role, as well as being an active member of three LGBT+ support groups.

Visit the network for older members of the LGBTQ+ community, where Katie is a trustee: friendsofdorothy.org.uk

And you can explore this network for transgender people that Katie spoke about here: uktransmission.org

Dr Ju Gosling FRSA

Dr Ju Gosling FRSA is an artist, writer, and campaigner. As Chair of the NUJ’s Equality Council in the 80s and 90s, she led on changes to the way in which HIV/Aids was reported, and later founded their Disabled Members’ Council.

A Co-Chair of Regard since the early noughties, Ju has led on work around social care and hate crime.

Find out more about the work of Regard here: regard.org.uk

And visit Dr Ju Gosling's website here: ju90.com

Bethan Rees

While 20-year-old Bethan is best known for her disability activism and comics about her experiences as an autistic person, she is also openly asexual and aromantic, and has delved a lot into the LGBT+ history scene.

In 2018, Bethan and the Teenage History Club curated the exhibition “Pride Of The People: Helping History Out of the Closet”, and since held tours and other events surrounding it.

Visit the asexuality resource Bethan mentions here: asexuality.org

Looking to discover more Queer history?