LGBT History Month 2022

The annual event, which takes place every February, began in 2005. This year’s national theme Politics in Art: 'The Arc is Long' is inspired by a Martin Luther King quote: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ The quote is thought to mean that although it is taking a long time, we are curving/moving towards social justice and fairness. 

During the month, the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network will be actively sharing details of local and national events via Twitter and will be launching some new resources. So please follow us on Twitter for regular updates and tweet us using the hashtag #LGBTHistoryMonth 

Feature your activity

During LGBT+ History Month trusts across England have the opportunity to demonstrate how they are taking action to support LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.  If your network or trust is hosting an event, a blog or a specific resource, let us know and we can promote it to our network and beyond.

Useful resources

• NHS Employers has developed a summary of information, tools, resources, and best practice to help you create a culture and environment that welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender staff, allowing them to be themselves at work and to contribute fully to the wider organisation.

• NHS Employers and the Health and Care LGBTQ+ Leaders Network held a webinar in December 2021 'Embedding and empowering LGBTQ+ staff networks webinar'. This session covered the latest good practice on LGBTQ+ staff networks in the NHS and what can be done to ensure they operate effectively, access the recording.

• The Royal College of Nursing PROUD network promotes equality of opportunity for LGBTQ+ staff in the NHS. A series of resources have been developed including an online exhibition Hidden in plain sight that explores diversity in nursing including how the LGBTQ+ community have helped shape the nursing profession throughout history. 

• Unison has developed a page detailing resources and key historical moments that have contributed to LGBTQ+ rights and continue to do so.

Trailblazers

As part of LGBT History Month, we are keen to showcase some of the LGBTQ+ and ally trailblazers working in health and social care. Over the month we will be adding to this list, so please share the people that have inspired you, raised awareness of LGBTQ+ health needs or raised the profile of LGBTQ+ people. They can be historic or contemporary and we'd like you to include a line on why they should be recognised. Please email any suggestions to us or tweet your trailblazer using the hashtag #LGBTHealthTrailblazers.  

• Dr Mags Portman - Mags was called a "pioneer within the sexual health sector". She advocated for access and usage of pre-exposure prophylaxis medication (PrEP) to reduce incidence of HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom. Portman has been attributed with preventing thousands of new HIV diagnoses through her work ensuring PrEP accessibility.
• Lord Michael Cashman - Lord Cashman is a former actor, member of the House of Lords, and founded LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall.
• Alan L. Hart (also known as Robert Allen Bamford Jr)  - Alan was an American physician, radiologist, tuberculosis researcher, writer, and novelist. He was one of the first trans men to undergo hysterectomy in the United States. He pioneered the use of x-ray photography in tuberculosis detection and helped implement TB screening programs that saved thousands of lives.
• Tracy MyHill OBE - Tracy made an outstanding contribution to LGBT equality during her time in chief executive, deputy chief executive and HR director roles. She encouraged and inspired people to discuss LGBT issues within Swansea and Cardiff and Vale Health Boards and across the UK Ambulance Sector ensuring board level commitment and LGBT staff networks were actively involved in the decision making processes.
• Christine Burns MBE - Christine is a British political activist known for her work with Press for Change, a key lobbying and legal support organisation for trans people in the UK. She fights for transgender rights, helped put together new employment legislation and the Gender Recognition Act and wrote the first ever official guidance on trans health for the Department of Health and Social Care.