The West Bridgford School

LGBT History Month 2020

LGBT History Month is a month-long annual ob-servance celebrating the lives and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is an opportunity to learn about the history of gay rights and related civil rights movements, and for allies to show their support.

A staff working party met back in December to plan a programme of events to run during February in order to acknowledge and celebrate LGBT+ equality. We have seen a great deal of thought-provoking work around school, in particular the winning post-er about being a good ally, and stunning creative writing from lessons. Here are just a few other highlights:

  • Pupils delivered an assembly shining a light on Sir Ian McKellen, who has a powerful voice in LGBT rights and activism and has been openly gay for more than 30 years. He is a commanding film actor and became widely recognised for his work on the silver screen. He is well-known for his role as villain Magneto in the X-Men movies, and, of course, the warmly regarded Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He is also co-founder of Stonewall, the biggest LGBT equality organisation in Europe
  • Musicians in Year 10 – 13 performed a well-known song by Jason Mraz
  • Discussions in tutor time about being a good ally and terminology
  • Focus on LGBT history in Humanities
  • Gender neutral pronouns display in MFL
  • Poster competition for Year 7 – 9 and BBC News Report
  • Fly the flag – a visible symbol of support
  • A-Level Politics lesson on Section 28 and the reason we acknowledge and celebrate LGBT History Month
  • Music and quiz in the canteen during lunch on Fri 14 Feb. Giant cookie prizes
  • Pupils shared what they think makes a good ally with Miss Martin and were invited to contribute a pledge
  • Pupils and staff supported ‘Buy a Cake, Donate’ - themed cakes made by the catering team and sold in the canteen during break. Last sum counted was £456 and still another opportunity to donate and buy a cake! All money raised will be donated to the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity supporting LGBT youth who are homeless or facing a housing crisis.
  • Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) will continue after Feb 1/2 term, a group run by pupils for pupils in Year 10 – 13

Each display, poster, lesson, cake and positive action makes all the difference in embedding a message of kindness, acceptance and inclusion across school, and this is essential for any community to thrive.