UCL marks LGBT+ History Month 2022

Rainbow flag - February is LGBT+ History Month - check out a range of events and resources here, and get in touch if you're running an event you'd like to be featured. A foreword from the chairs of UCL's LGBTQ+ Equality Steering Group  LGBT+ History Month is always a time to reflect how far we've come and how far we still have to go. This year's theme is "The arc is long" (paraphrased from Dr Martin Luther King Jr's quote "The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice") - something that feels very poignant, especially in current times. Things are frightening on many fronts right now. Last December, the UK has reported on a sharp increase in both homophobic and transphobic hate crimes after the end of the 2021 lockdown. Trans healthcare is completely overwhelmed, with some types of gender-affirming surgery being put on hold indefinitely in the UK. A few days ago, the European Council has strongly criticised the UK for the rise in "highly prejudicial anti-gender, gender-critical and anti-trans narratives which reduce the fight for the equality of LGBTI people to what these movements deliberately mischaracterise as 'gender ideology' or 'LGBTI ideology'" as such narratives "deny the very existence of LGBTI people, dehumanise them, and often falsely portray their rights as being in conflict with women's and children's rights, or societal and family values in general."  In a time where it often feels like we're stepping backwards when we should be going forwards, community is now more important than ever.