RASAC Blogs

Why February? LGBT+ History Month and the role of education...

Why February?

LGBT+ History Month and the role of education

LGBT+ History Month was founded by Schools OUT UK in 2004, but what is it and why does it happen in February?

Homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967 but continued to be illegal in other parts of the British Isles for some time. Where it was decriminalised, the age of consent for homosexual acts often remained higher than for heterosexual acts.

Section 28 (2A in Scotland) was in place for much of this period, from 1986 to 2003 (2000 in Scotland). Under this legislation, local authorities could “not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality.”

In practice, this meant that sex and relationships education was absent for LGBT+ young people, and that schools failed to protect their students from bullying & harassment. Justine, one of our support workers, remembers her own experiences under Section 28:

“At school, being gay was something no adults spoke about. When I came out and was bullied, it wasn’t addressed. Teachers panicked when I went to them for help – they just shut the conversation down and told me they couldn’t speak about it further. Some of them said I should be ‘less obvious’ and ‘keep things to myself’. Any education about sexual health or relationships wasn’t relevant to my life – it felt like LGBT+ people were invisible.”

Following the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales in February 2003, Schools OUT sought to break this silence, working to create spaces for learning where everyone can feel safe. LGBT History Month gives us an opportunity to remember not only the end of Section 28, but also the importance of education for all young people on topics that affect their lives. At RASAC PK, our prevention team delivers a range of age-appropriate, interactive workshops in schools to raise awareness of the aspects of society that contribute to sexual violence and what a healthy relationship looks like. Megan, one of our support workers, sees the impact creating space for open, safe conversations can have:

“After our prevention sessions, we established a drop-in space at the school to provide a safe environment for students to come forward if they felt impacted by the information that had been discussed. It became clear that there was a strong need for such a space, where young people could feel both safe and supported as they shared their experiences.

The way they expressed the importance of having someone who truly listened was telling—many spoke about how it was the first time they had ever felt genuinely heard and validated in their experiences. They shared how, in the past, their experiences had been dismissed by others, with people telling them to ‘get over it’, that it ‘wasn’t a big deal’, and that ‘these things just happen’. This led young people feeling guilty about not knowing how to move forward in the way others wanted them to and keeping quiet about the abuse they had faced, feeling as though nobody wanted to take the time to listen to how it had made them feel. For those who attended, this space offered something they had longed for: the opportunity to feel seen, respected, believed and heard.”

RASAC PK is here to support all young people aged 12+ who have been affected by sexual violence or want to know more information on healthy relationships. If you would like to speak to us, give us a call on 01738 630965 or email support@rasacpk.org.uk. We are here to listen, believe and support.