Events
The Herts community is coming together to mark LGBT+ History Month. To celebrate diversity, encourage conversation, educate and drive positive change. Our Schools and departments have organised a range of thought-provoking online events. These include workshops, debates, artwork, poetry and talks.
Please book your place or email us to get involved. Joining instructions will be sent to you when you book your place.
More events will be added throughout February, so please do check back!
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Week 1: 1 - 7 February
Date Time Title Description Audience Tuesday 2 February 17:00 - 17:45 Afternoon Teacher Tea Time Join us to discuss LGBT+ in primary and secondary schools. Meet Sue Sanders, Founder of the LGBT History Month and Co-Chair of Schools Out, a group working for the equality of LGBT+ people in the education system.
This event is hosted by the School of Education.This event is open to everyone who is interested in education and improving LGBT+ inclusivity in primary and secondary schools. It will be particularly useful for undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers, teachers from partnership schools, and education students at Herts. Wednesday 3 February 15:00 - 16:00 Equali-TEA Weekly opportunity to talk virtually with others to talk mental health. Rainbow theme is encouraged. Contact Chloe McKendrick and the LGBT+ Student Society for more information lgbtas@gmail.com
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student SocietyThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Friday 5 February 19:30 - 20:30 Drag Aerobics Get your spandex on, push your sofas to the side, and get ready for an aerobics class with a twist, turn and a shimmy shimmy darling! Be part of the most outrageous exercise class and workout while you isolate. Drag superstar Dolly Trolley will take you through the most camp workout session live in your living room.
Visit https://hertfordshire.native.fm for more information and to book.
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student Society.
This event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. -
Week 2: 8 - 14 February
Date Time Title Description Audience Tuesday 9 February 17:00 - 1745 School of Education book club Join us to discuss our chosen text, Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker (no need to have read all three books!)
This event is hosted by the School of Education.This event is open to all. Wednesday 10 February 14:00 - 15:00 Sue Sanders: founder of LGBT+ History Month Sue Sanders is the founder of LGBTHM in the UK. Sue is also the chair of Schools OUT UK, a charity that aims to advance equality for LGBT people, which began life as The Gay Teachers Association in 1974. Their overarching goal is to make schools and educational institutions safe spaces for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) communities. Join us as Sue shares her experience and answers your questions in a Q&A.
This event is hosted by the School of Education.
This event is open to all. Wednesday 10 February 15:00 - 16:00 Equali-TEA Weekly opportunity to talk virtually with others to talk mental health. Rainbow theme is encouraged. Contact Chloe McKendrick and the LGBT+ Student Society for more information lgbtas@gmail.com
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student SocietyThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Friday 12 February 10:30 - 11:30 Imagining Ivy Williams with Professor Matthew Weait Ivy Williams (1877-1966) was a woman of firsts: the first woman to be called to the Bar of England and Wales; the first woman to teach law in an English university; the first woman to be awarded a Doctorate of Common Law at the University of Oxford for her legal scholarship. She also a translated Russian fiction and, in later life when she lost her sight, wrote a Braille primer. A person who did not seek the limelight, relatively little is known about her private life – though we know that she had significant relationships and attachments with other women. In this talk, Matthew Weait will invite us to “imagine” Ivy – taking us through some of the key moments and accomplishments in her extraordinary life, and reflecting on his reasons for researching her biography.
This event is hosted by the Office of the Vice-ChancellorThis event is open to all. -
Week 3: 15 - 21 February
Date Time Title Description Audience Monday 15 February 10:00 - 11:00 The Men in the Pink Triangle What significance does the pink triangle have to LGBT+ history? Who were the men in the pink triangle? What do we know about their lives?
This talk will give an outline of LGBT+ people before and during the Nazi Holocaust of World War II. It will bring to light some of their stories, experiences and lived horrors. It will discuss how the persecution of predominantly gay and bisexual men, by Nazi Germany, took place.
In Chechnya right now, LGBT+ people are being rounded up in camps. This talk reflects upon how history is managing to repeat itself in new but frightening ways and asks, what can we do to stop it?About the speaker Drew Dalton
Drew is a senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Sunderland and the founder and chair of ReportOUT, a global SOGIESC human rights organisation. He was previously chair of LGBT History Project NE and Hidayah, an LGBTQI+ charity for Muslims. Drew actively researches and teaches topics around activism and social movements, global health and global homo/bi/transphobia. He is the programme leader of the MSc Inequality and Society.
This event is hosted by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Office.This event is open to all. Tuesday 16 February 16:00 - 17:30 Lest we forget: AIDS, COVID-19 and the politics of memory We discuss the social similarities and differences between the AIDS pandemic and the current COVID-19 crisis. We'll examine how current discourse about COVID-19 remembers (or ignores) HIV/AIDS as an antecedent, and questions the political implications of remembering.
We'll explore thought provoking questions such as: How is memory political? Whose lives matter and are remembered and whose don’t? How can the AIDS epidemic and its aftermath help us think about a post-COVID future?This talk will be followed by a Q&A. You can find out more about this talk and the speakers on this webpage.
This event is hosted by the School of Life and Medical Sciences.
This event is open to all. Tuesday 16 February 17:00 - 17:45 School of Education film club We discuss 'Imitation Game' which tells the story of Alan Turing, a gay British scientist, who cracked the Enigma code during World War II. The Human Rights Campaign commented that: 'Alan Turing was a true hero... Yet during the most tragic part of his lifetime, he stood alone and endured unimaginable torment and shame because he was gay. This film will give millions across the globe a chance to celebrate a truly brilliant man for his ground-breaking contributions to the world'
You can read the full press release on the Human Rights Campaign's webpage.
Together we will discuss how attitudes have changed over time. Plus there will be the chance to share film recommendations.
Please watch this film in your own time before our discussion.
This event is hosted by the School of Education.
This event is open to all. Wednesday 17 February 12:00 - 13:00 Pronouns Workshop This workshop has been designed by the LGBT+ Society to help the wider community learn about why pronouns are important, particularly to trans and non-binary people. This workshop will make you feel more comfortable with how/when/whether to ask someone their pronouns, and what to do if you make a mistake. Find out more about this workshop on the SU website.
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student SocietyThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Wednesday 17 February 15:00 - 16:00 Equali-TEA Weekly opportunity to talk virtually with others to talk mental health. Rainbow theme is encouraged. Contact Chloe McKendrick and the LGBT+ Student Society for more information lgbtas@gmail.com
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student SocietyThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. -
Week 4: 22 - 28 February
Date Time Title Description Audience Tuesday 23 February 15:00 - 16:00 English Literature Research Seminar for LGBT+ History Month: The Letters of Thom Gunn In this talk, Michael Nott, co-editor of the forthcoming publication The Letters of Thom Gunn offers some insight into his experience of editing the correspondence of one of the finest gay poets. Nott will concentrate on Gunn’s extraordinary capacity for friendship – Gunn called it the ‘greatest value’ in his life – and talk in detail about some of the people behind the poems in Gunn’s final three collections: The Passages of Joy, The Man with Night Sweats, and Boss Cupid. This event is open to staff and students. Tuesday 23 February 17:00 - 17:45 Afternoon Teacher Tea Time Join us to discuss LGBTQ+ in primary and secondary schools. Meet Sue Sanders, Founder of the LGBT History Month and Co-Chair of Schools Out, a group working for the equality of LGBTQ+ people in the education system.
This event is hosted by the School of Education.This event is open to everyone who is interested in education and improving LGBT+ inclusivity in primary and secondary schools. It will be particularly useful for undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers, teachers from partnership schools, and education students at Herts. Tuesday 23 February 18:00 - 19:30 Lawyers that make a difference: fighting for LGBT Rights through the courts There have been huge advances for LGBT equality in the UK over the last 20 years, with the advent of civil partnerships in 2004, and more recently same-sex marriage. Change has been painfully slow. Section 28, which prevented schools from talking positively about homosexuality, was only repealed in 2003. In the same year LGBT people finally received protection against discrimination in the workplace.
This event celebrates lawyers who have played a significant role in advancing LGBT rights through some of the landmark court cases of the last few years.
Gain a valuable insight into the stories behind the headlines as we speak to the barristers involved. You can find out more about this event and our speakers on this webpage.
This event is hosted by Hertfordshire Law School.
This event is open to everyone who is interested in the law. It will be particularly beneficial for students of Hertfordshire Law School and level 3 students who have an offer to study law at Herts. Tuesday 23 February 19:00 - 20:30 Pride Bingo Bonanza Come and join the LGBT+ Student Society for a fun twist on an old-school classic. Bonus points are up for grabs to the best dressed guest.
Email Chloe McKendrick President of the LGBT+ Student Society for more informationThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Wednesday 24 February 14:00 - 15:00 Honour based violence Honour based violence (HBV) has been widely studied. The majority of existing research has been conducted through a heterosexual lens and considers the primary victims which are females. LGBT+ victims of HBV have been forgotten and overlooked in research. The aim of this lecture is to provide information about the concept of HBV and explain the experience of LGBT+ victims.
This event is hosted by Hertfordshire Law School.
This event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Wednesday 24 February 15:00 - 16:00 Equali-TEA Weekly opportunity to talk virtually with others to talk mental health. Rainbow theme is encouraged. Contact Chloe McKendrick and the LGBT+ Student Society for more information lgbtas@gmail.com
This event is hosted by the LGBT+ Student SocietyThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire. Wednesday 24 February 15:00 - 16:30 Employer Panel Session: Celebrating LGBT+ History Month Hear from employers who are championing and celebrating the LGBT+ community. They'll discuss their strategies to empower, build confidence and celebrate uniqueness within their organisations. LGBT+ employees also share their experiences.
To book please log into Handshake.
This event is hosted by the Careers and Employment Team.This event is open to students from the University of Hertfordshire. Thursday 25 February 12:00 - 13:00 Time To Change - A guest talk from Dame Inga Beale Breaking through several glass ceilings and addressing taboo topics, Dame Beale talks from experience about how to build an environment where people from all walks of life feel valued and respected. Driven by her desire to empower women and the LGBT+ community in business, she shares the lessons she's learned along the way. This thought provoking talk will explore how we can all be part of the change for a more equal society. Dame Inga Beale is a British businesswoman with 38 years of experience in global financial services. She is also a speaker and role model for driving the inclusion agenda. Her Damehood was awarded in 2017 for her services to the UK economy during her 5-year tenure as CEO of Lloyd's of London.
This event is hosted by Hertfordshire Business School.
This event is open to all. Friday 26 February 12:00 - 13:30 Engaging the LGBT+ community in public service leadership: experiences from Local Government and the Police Join us for a thought-provoking keynote with Carl Austin-Behan OBE DL, the first openly homosexual Lord Mayor of Manchester and now an advocate for inclusion and equality. This will be followed by a panel discussion where Carl will be joined by Inspector Steven Alison from Hertfordshire Constabulary, who was pivotal in making Hertfordshire Constabulary one of the first police services to offer gender neutral uniforms; and Temporary Commander Clinton Blackburn from City of London Police, who Co-chairs the National Police LGBT+ Network. This event will be chaired by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Matthew Weait. You can find out more about this event and our speakers on this webpage.
If you have a question that you would like to be considered during the panel discussion please do submit these in advance by emailing events@herts.ac.uk.
This collaborative event is in conjunction with Hertfordshire Constabulary and City of London Police. It is hosted by Hertfordshire Business School
Friday 26 February 19:00 - 21:00 Drag make-up tutorial Come and join the LGBT+ Student Society for a fun virtual drag make-up tutorial.
Email Chloe McKendrick President of the LGBT+ Student Society for more informationThis event is open to staff and students from the University of Hertfordshire.
Booking Form
Please complete the booking form to join our events. Once you identify your relationship to the University (e.g. staff, student or stakeholder) you'll be shown details of the events available to you. You can register your attendance on as many events as you like. We look forward to celebrating LGBT+ History Month with you.
Book your place