In commemoration of LGBTQ+ History month, SayiT hosted their annually held event celebrating queer history which runs from the 1st February to the 29th February.
This event marked the abolition of Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1998.
The removal of this act in 2003 meant that “promoting homosexuality or publishing material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” to local authorities and schools would no longer be considered an offence.
SayiT is a charity that works with LGBTQ youth in Sheffield, working with young people aged 8-25, providing young people with practical and emotional support.
They also deliver training for businesses, commercial organisations and universities surrounding LGTBQ+ awareness and ally-ship workshops.
Fiona Moorcroft, 49, the events and training officer for SayiT, said: “For this event we wanted to have the biggest LGBTQ history month event that SayIt has ever run.”
This year they decided to partner up with other organisations that were also interested in celebrating and acknowledging LGBTQ+ history such as museums, libraries, Sheffield archives and their podcast proud changemakers.
On the 27th February they partnered with Sheffield Weston Park Museum where they held a talk on ‘LGBTQ+ artefacts in the archives Or, The importance of Small Things’.
Ms. Moorcroft explained how retelling these stories and sharing artefacts about queer history is important as it raises awareness of and opposes prejudice against LGBTQ+ people and their history.
She said: “So far we’ve talked about all sorts of things, such as the painting from Louis Jennings, a trans women who fought at Dunkirk in the Second World War and then later transitioned in the 70’s.
“There’s also the minutiae, the tiny, tiny things such as membership cards, tickets to a nightclub, that sort of thing that people collect as personal artefacts that are important to them.”
Fiona also shares how they have plans for future events in August and September.
She said: “We’re going to be doing a tremendous amount of extra things, partnering with other organisations by reaching out and trying to make ourselves known and heard.”
You can listen to the podcast here.