LGBT+ History Month with Mary at Capstone

Celebrating Over 20 Years of LGBT+ History Month

February marks LGBT+ History Month, which is now over 20 years old.  This year’s theme is activism and social change.  For so long LGBT+ people’s history was hidden. Following the repeal of Section 28 (schools being prohibited from publishing any positive representations of LGBT+ people) Schools OUT created UK LGBT+ History Month to claim our past, celebrate our present and create our future.

Throughout history LGBT+ people have been activists and helped drive social change, making the world a more inclusive place. Some of the successes over the years include:

·       An equal age of consent for gay and bi men 

·       The end of Section 28 in Scotland, and England and Wales 

·       Same-sex couples becoming free to adopt children 

·       LGBT+ people becoming free to serve openly in the Armed Forces 

·       Protection from discrimination at work 

·       The right for same sex-couples to have civil partnerships 

·       The right for LGBT+ couples to be legally recognised as parents 

·       The right for same-sex couples to get married 

·       LGBT+ inclusive teaching in the national curriculum 

But there’s still a long way to go 

Despite the progress made towards LGBT+ equality throughout history, and with the current shift in anti-LGBT+ feeling across the world, the fight for equality is far from over. LGBT+ people still face discrimination and exclusion. 

Coming out in the 1990’s, I have experienced a positive shift in terms of being able to be my authentic self and that is certainly the case here at Capstone where I have always spoken freely, contributed to celebratory events and been able to develop. I also delivered a PRIDE solidarity hour in 2024 which I plan to repeat on the 26th of February for our team to mark LGBT+ History Month.  During this session a colleague and I spoke about our experiences, the many microaggressions and biases we have endured over the years and how this has impacted  our self-worth and confidence. How we often hid our true selves and harboured feelings that our relationships were lesser than our straight friends. She also spoke about being “let go” from a job in the 80’s for “being different” and how this made her determined to pursue her Social Work degree to ensure she entered a profession where this discrimination would not be tolerated.  

The LGBT+ awareness training on offer at Capstone is available for all of our team members, from panel members and external assessors to admins and foster carers. It includes specific guidance on how we support trans applicants and foster carers and how our carers ensure they are providing the best possible support to our young people who identify as lesbian, gay or trans.

We are fearful that the rhetoric is changing again and urge everyone to be active allies to stop this negative spiral. We need to ensure that our LGBT+ youth have a bright future where they too can be their authentic wonderful selves and feel proud of who they are.

Mary x

*Mary is a Quality Standards Manager at Capstone Foster Care

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