LGBT+ History Month at York St John

by Emily Segaran · 1 February 2021

Lord Mayor’s Walk light up from LGBT+ History Month 2019

LGBT+ History Month 2021 is here! At York St John we have lots planned and we hope you’ll join us to celebrate the history, lives and experiences of the LGBT+ community. You can find the YSJU LGBT+ Staff Network on Twitter and email lgbtstaff@yorksj.ac.uk to be added to our mailing list.

Emily, Students’ Union LGBTQ+ Liberation officer and Kalen, chair of the LGBTQ+ Society, are running a social media campaign throughout February, highlighting this year’s theme of ‘Mind, Body, Spirit’. They have a variety of resources, information and events to share, from sexual violence awareness, to inspiring people, to open socials – and lots more in between! Follow them via the Students’ Union on Facebook and Twitter.

Read a blog post from Clare McCluskey Dean, one of our academic liaison librarians, highlighting LGBT+ centred/inclusive resources in the library collection. This is also your opportunity recommend any books you would like to see added to our collection! https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/infoincurriculum/2021/01/28/lgbt-history-month-2021/

Jamie Windust in Conversation | 6:00pm | Monday 15 February

Join author and model Jamie Windust and Dr Esther McIntosh, Associate Head of Religion, Politics and International Relations at York St John University, for a fun and frank evening of conversation about the key issues for the LGBT+ community in 2021. Jamie will discuss their debut book, ‘In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life’, and share their thoughts on topics ranging from the need for kindness in the LGBT+ community to the impact of Pride cancellations in 2020. Book a ticket for Jamie Windust in Conversation via EventBrite.

Beyond the Binary: Scientific Thinking about Sex 1900-1950 | 5.00pm | Tuesday 16 February

In the last decade, a growing number of young people identify as non-binary. Some governments are now considering recognition of a neutral gender in official documents. However trans and non-binary people are still being stigmatised by the media. In these instances science is invoked to help us defend or challenge our understandings of gender and sex to enable systemic change. In this talk Dr Chiara Beccalossi (University of Lincoln) discusses how science increasingly sees gender and sex as a spectrum. Book a ticket for Beyond the Binary via EventBrite.

Pierre-Philippe, our colleague in mathematical sciences, has created themed infographics to track the popularity of different Google search terms throughout the month. Follow YSJU LGBT+ Staff network on Twitter. We’ll be highlighting LGBT+ role models and we’d love your suggestions. Tell us about someone in your field, past or present, who you think needs to be celebrated and we’ll add them to our campaign! Please send your ideas to Emily at LGBTstaff@yorksj.ac.uk

The University of York is also hosting a number of events which are open to the public, starting with The Log Books: Stories from our LGBTQ+ history on Thursday 4 February at 1pm. You can find details of all their events on the University of York LGBT+ History Month webpage.