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<\/a>I grew up straight, in a straight world, where it was fine to think about having a job, but you still had to know how to cook and clean and iron your future husband\u2019s shirts! A world where American Tan tights (google it) were the expected uniform for young women (true story!). I saw education as my way out. What could be less confrontational than to leave home for university? I knew I was never going back.<\/p>\nI\u2019d like to say that I started reinventing myself the moment I boarded the train to London with two stupidly heavy suitcases, but I was a very uncool student just as I had been a very uncool child. I studied hard, made friends, but I was no rising star. Then one day in 1985, a chance meeting changed my world. Suddenly there were colours, rainbow colours, and I discovered my true self.<\/p>\n
The transformation was root and branch; my straight friends reacted badly, my family even worse. But LGBT+ people made me feel unique, wanted, part of a bigger family, one where difference is celebrated. The LGBT+ community is one of the most diverse, all-embracing, inclusive communities on the planet. The + is very important. The ability to self-define and still be accepted is a fundamental part of this community, which is what makes it so very special. And it\u2019s not just about who\u2019s allowed in; it\u2019s about the support once you arrive. We look after each other, support each other, and use discrimination against us as fuel to support other minoritised groups.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve stood on the shoulders of LGBT+ people who have gone before me, who refused to be boxed in to a hetero-normative world. And, in my turn, I have marched and campaigned for LGBT+ rights that young people can now take for granted. And the struggle is not over; it will never be over.<\/p>\n
So Pride Month is important to me because that\u2019s when I feel closest to my community. My LGBT+ family from 1980\u2019s London is now scattered across the world, others we lost in the last pandemic: HIV\/AIDS. But wherever I am, knowing that the core nature of this community is to protect its own and speak its truth gives me a sense of balance and belonging. It gives me a sense of Pride.<\/p>\n
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Get educated (the easy way):<\/p>\n
June is Pride Month: https:\/\/staff.kent.ac.uk\/news\/27689\/june-is-pride-month<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On 01 June, I got to reflecting about Pride Month and why it\u2019s so important to me that we celebrate and commemorate our community, past and present. I was brought up in the 1960\u2019s and 70\u2019s. When we look back … Continue reading