St. Valentine`s Day is also LGBT+ History Month "Claiming our past Celebrating our present. Creating our future"

Sometimes October, in the UK it is observed during February, commemorating the end of Section 28,in 2003.

`something not to be talked about` - that's how our past was often erased from history. At best, us seen as objects of pantomime ridicule. Well, I along with other GOC members went to Chipping Norton's Cinderella last December – proudly letting them know we were there. A great night!

Often you hear comments `now they are making out that so- and so was actually lesbian, what's the evidence?` Our evidence is that we have lasted fifty years! So for later generations, History Month was initiated in 2005 the UK by former school teacher, now Professor Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick, then co-chairs of Schools OUT UK. This year's theme is medicine, and one of those recalled is the Scot Ewan Forbes, who created a High Court battle over inheritance rights where the file mysteriously disppeared.  A man born as a woman...

For GOC, It's a chance to uncover the amazing legacy in statues, buildings, places across the UK. This month saw sell-out GOC walking tours of LGBTQ+ London,- from Derek Jarman, via the gender-fluid Chevalier d`Eon, and Oscar Wilde, to various classical statues of suitable configuration! Organised by Herts Group, we'd like to see more like events planned for the coming anniversary year

Help plan or delivering a visit to a famous location, or a walk! Let us know by joining GOC`s History & Culture group. There's likely to be something even on your own doorstep- I found Radclyffe Hall's home down the road (author of Well of Loneliness, banned in 1928) and a few miles away, Queensberry House, birthplace of Wilde`s lover Bosie.

Of course, you can also run an event in your local group too.

David Millar