22 years of LGBTI+ history month - In conversation with Sue Sanders

When I think back to history classes at school, it brings back stale memories of picking at hardened gum melded to the underbelly of my school desk. The curriculum had a healthy appetite for inoffensive content. We had cautious lessons on women whose work had been pick-pocketed by male counterparts, but if you thumbed through the dog-eared pages of our worn out textbooks, you’d be greeted page-after-page with printed images of white men in stiff uniforms wearing stern expressions. ‘Representation’ has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years - but that doesn’t dilute its impact in practice. When young people can see themselves reflected in the role models we show them in school, we raise the next generation of politicians, teachers, scientists, artists, - and ensure that not all of them are simply their fathers sons.

I had the privilege of interviewing Sue Sanders, co-founder of LGBT+ History Month. Sue has been a trailblazer in advocating for our community for over forty years, and is well-versed in the art of challenging the system.

This year’s theme is Science and Innovation. Why did this feel prevalent for 2026?

“It enables us to look at the impact that science innovation has on our daily lives - from the technology we use every day to the developments in healthcare, climate change and access to clean energy. The beauty of innovation is that there have been so many wonderful inventors - not necessarily totally in the science area - who've done amazing things.”

“As a community, science has also not always been our friend, and we need to actually look at where science has been problematic for us, and where we need science now… to challenge some of the misconceptions around sexuality, gender and sex.” 

The acknowledgement of this detail is vital, as the relationship we navigate with science is complex. Of course, it can act as a strong foundation to rely on. Evidence and fact are powerful instruments of justice in the face of homophobia and transphobia, which tends to stand on the grounds of illogical, unfounded hatred. However, science has also been wielded as a weapon of oppression against us. Medicalisation of LGBTQ+ identities may seem archaic, but it was only in the 1970s that electroshock therapy intended to “cure” LGBTQ+ people was phased out of NHS practices. This was after irreparable damage had already been caused to over 100,000 individuals.

Why do you believe we have been historically iced out of STEM recognition, and why did this feel important to challenge?

“I think science has been presented to us as very much a white man in a white coat, and I think that the area has been very masculinised, so women have had real difficulty in pushing in there - let alone LGBT people, let alone black people. It has been the preserve of white, heterosexual presenting men.”

Of course, we are no longer entirely shrouded in shadows. I imagine, if asked, plenty of people would be able to name queer writers, artists, and performers. Our history books are peppered with names that appeared in bright lights on glimmering stages, or embellished on the pages of treasured literature behind glass cabinets. But what about those who gave their Oscar-award winning performances behind closed laboratory doors, or whose work was published quietly under male-sounding pseudonyms in study papers?

“All the work that we've done… is to challenge that set-up and challenge the white middle class, heterosexual, able bodied concepts that we have been holding in our head for all these years. 
We've done it in literature, but science has lagged behind, so let's hope we're spearheading that movement.”

I turned our conversation towards the first LGBTQ+ History Month, launched in 2004. Sue announced the first LGBT+ History Month at an Amnesty International conference, and Amnesty has been a long standing sponsor since.

What was the driving force behind launching LGBT+ History Month?

“We had fifteen years of Section 28.”

Section 28, a law passed in 1998 by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality by local authorities”. Whilst the legal parameters of this new law were vague and fragile, the cultural impact was powerful and widespread, casting a shadow of fear over schools and educators all over the country. But, as Sue went on to explain to me, the ability for this act to be enforced was far more vulnerable than the government would have had people believe at the time.

“The 1986 Education Act had taken away the authority from local authorities and schools and given it to governors and parents. And indeed, that was mentioned in the debates around Section 28. The media and the government kept that very quiet… In the majority of schools, the silence descended.”

“And remember, during those 15 years in England, we did not have one court case. So it was very clear to me that the government knew that they would be on very thin ground if they attempted to prosecute. But, as I say, the media was so profoundly strong that it created an atmosphere of fear.” 

This atmosphere of fear is one we know all too well, because it operates in a pattern. It fossilises and rebirths routinely, tiptoeing in the footprints left by its bitter predecessors. Is it too optimistic to believe that this political tide is a howl from beyond the grave and, whilst haunting, it can be stamped back six feet below the soil?

How have educators' attitudes towards LGBT+ History Month shifted over time? 

“I think it's like a wave. It goes up and down. You know, it's ebb and tide. 
I think, gradually people were picking it up more… the work that Lynne (Lynne Nichols - Trustee at SchoolsOUT) has done since she's taken over has been phenomenal… However, we have noticed a drop in the last two or three years. And I think, with the sustained attack on particularly trans people, schools have become a little bit more cautious.” 

“Having said that… I think that the joy of the way LGBT history has grown and has seeped out into the culture, you know, it is clearly much wider than just education and schools. 
It's gone into local authorities, it's gone into museums, it's gone into archives, and into business. I think it's crucial that we recognise the companies that have helped (us) and work with them… tell them why we're supporting them and buying from them and not buy from the companies that… have been pinkwashing us all these years.” 

In fact, according to Sue - who mused on this with a chuckle, LGBT+ History Month has transgressed past the point of its creator, and now stands independently on its own two feet.

“Bless its heart, it's got a life of its own now… frequently, people have no concept that it had to be invented, or indeed that there is a website supporting it… which is slightly frustrating, given how much work we put into it. But … it has that life now.” 

I’ll take this moment to suggest an intermission in your reading of this article, and go take a look at the website for LGBTQ+ History Month, where you can check out the team and their resources. Plus, you can actively support SchoolsOUT by purchasing their badges! They are beautifully crafted, designed by local communities, and by purchasing a badge you will be helping to keep LGBT+ History Month alive. Alright, intermission over, return to your seats!

“When it (Section 28) finally went in 2003, it went with a whimper. Nobody said anything. Paul and I looked at each other… we thought, well, you know, ‘this is ridiculous. We've got to do something.’ “

Sue and Paul were equally encouraged by the political context of the time. Labour were in power and had begun discussions on a singular equality policy.

“They've begun to recognise that all the different equality acts are scattered all around, half of them aren't doing a proper job. So they wanted to pull together one big bill… which would challenge discrimination against all the different marginalised groups. 
So it seems to me, you know, this is a great time to do it. So the DFE eventually says yes, but it's far too late. 
We've already announced it.” 

And with that, the first LGBTQ+ History Month was born in the Tate Modern Cinema.

“We had three trans people on that stage… we had people from the global majority, we had disabled people, we had a lesbian, we had a gay man, we had a bisexual, and we also had a heterosexual ally… so, you know, we really pushed the boat out. The media really didn't pick it up. And to be frank, to this day, the media's still pretty slow on picking it up… we really have to push. And of course, being all volunteers, it's not easy pushing.” 

What conversations and ideas do you hope this year’s theme will open up the door to, both at school and at home?

“I mean, this information isn't in the mainstream, you know, we have to do some digging. We were very lucky this year because we had a science communicator working with us, so it was a bit easier, thanks to her. But the challenge is that LGBT contributions are still hidden.”

“
Barbara Burford - who is very dear to my heart. She was a very close friend of mine, and she is an absolute example of being both a scientist and an innovator. (She was) doing very crucial work in looking at lung transplants for young people. 
And then the whole time she was doing that… she was an amazing writer. She wrote poetry and plays, and novels, some of which are in schools now as an attempt to look at the black lesbian voice. And then, bless her heart, she goes to the NHS and works around equalities… an extraordinary innovator, and I love her dearly and miss her massively.”

“Charles Bayer, a locomotive engineer… he was an immigrant who came over from Germany, and certainly received a certain amount of discrimination, before he eventually got himself his own company and invented all sorts of amazing trains.”

“Elke Mackenzie, a botanist who researched lichens in Antarctica. She's a horrendous example of how trans people are discriminated against. 
We can't find any pictures of her after she transitioned. When she was writing under her own name, Elke Mackenzie, people actually had the audacity to say that her work was nowhere near as good as her brothers. And of course, her brother was her.”

“Jemma Redmond is a fascinating biotechnologist. 
She was intersex, and when she discovered this, it was a very important part of her reality. She was coming up with his idea of 3D printing organs and people said ‘no, no, no, you can't do that.’ Well, the first thing she printed was an upright forefinger. 
I think it's a rather delightful way of saying, you know, wake up.”

“And then, of course, Robert Boyle, who everybody probably vaguely remembers from school, who was the founder of modern chemistry, and the modern scientific method.

Here we have all these extraordinary people who are members of the LGBT community who, my guess is, most people haven't heard of. We have an amazing history and her-story and their-story to be proud of. 
For kids to learn about wonderful people, it seems to me to be crucial.”

“I think for me personally, as somebody who helped set up LGBT history, my fury at not hearing my her-story - the woman, that little lesbian, was powerful… And here I am as a white woman, and a person who is mostly able bodied. But if you're black and a woman and a lesbian and disabled, where are your role models? 
Who do you link to? So for me, it's absolutely crucial that we make that effort to constantly find people who will link with people who, frequently, have not been able to find out who people like them are.”

Reflecting on the 22 years of LGBT+ History Month, Sue continued, “In a blink of an eye, when you think about the length of time, centuries, that we've been around, we have made the most extraordinary success in advancement. Which is, of course, why we have the backlashes. 28 was the backlash to the very early successful work that we were doing in local authorities around equal opportunities (for) women, black people, disabled people. Pre 28, there was a whole movement - often led by feminists, often who were lesbians… But of course, they found that very problematic and they challenged it`”

It was a refreshing thought - the idea that what we are experiencing today is a sign that we are doing something right. A sign that we pose a real threat to the pillars of hierarchy and privilege that upholds people in their positions of power. It is an intimidating battle, but remember you cannot be brave if you are not first afraid.

Do you have any advice for educators who want to keep having these conversations, but fear the backlash they may receive if they do?

“Hold fast. Join a union. The NEU has over 20,000 registered LGBT teachers and they are really good at supporting them… I think what's crucial is that we make sure that we keep the Equality Act 2010, and the Public Duty Act. Any attempt to water that down has got to be challenged. I think what's worrying is that this whole trans thing is an attempt, in fact, to start poking at that… We've got to hold fast, we've got to continue the work.”

“We've got to support each other. 
It's crucial that we look after each other because these are hard times. We need to make allies… we have to look after ourselves and try very hard to use our anger, which we have lots of, to punch up, not punch each other. And, you know, too often, we nitpick against each other instead of actually challenging the bigots.”

“I mean, the whole joy and challenge of LGBT History Month is… that we create the space. 
We put stuff out, and then we leave it to you guys to do what you want with it… And in the past, we have seen that people certainly have grabbed it and used it, so we can only hope.”

When all else falls short, we rest on the foundations of hope. Hope guided our historical trailblazers. They did not know, when they kissed their forbidden lovers in the shadows of a discrete alley corner or under the protection of heavy rainfall, that they would one day be celebrated for their sexuality - not just in spite of it. But, with hope by their side, they fought for the chance of it - just as we must do now. So, as we enter into the tumultuous year that is 2026, let us all raise hell, and hope.

Useful links: https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/