LGBTQ+ history month was first celebrated in the UK in 2005 by the schools OUT UK organisation, founded by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick, both of whom were teachers from the UK. Nearly two decades on, LGBTQ+ History Month still plays an important role in allowing us to reflect on the struggles of the past, revel in the present and give us courage for the future. The theme this year is ‘Behind the Lens’ which celebrates LGBTQ+ movies, music, producers, animators, costume designers, special effects, choreographers and many more.

Throughout time queer+ people have had to hide their sexuality due to the struggle for acceptance and equality from family members, friends, and strangers. For many years, same sex attraction and transgender identities were treated as psychological illnesses, in which Doctors and psychiatrists would try to ‘treat’ those who were homosexual or transgender.

Historically, women who were attracted to other women were not arrested for being queer+, as their attraction to the same sex was not recognised as a crime. However, even today we can hear historians talk about ‘close friendships’ between two women, even though there is evidence these historical women were very much in love. Emily Dickinson and Sue Gilbert are (in my opinion) one of the most famous ‘we’re just friends’ couples to have sparked queer+ historians’ interest. There are hundreds of poems and letters written by Emily to Sue over the course of their life together. Emily and Sue met when Sue moved to Amherst so she could be closer to her sister, in 1850. Emily described that time of her life as the time “when love first began…”. Sue married Emily’s brother and the two lived next door to each other for many years, with Sue being Emily’s muse, editor, and lifelong partner.

If two men were found to be in a relationship together this was seen as a crime until 1967, when the Sexual Offences Act was passed to decriminalise male loving male relationships. An important turning point for our community was the Stonewall riots, which happened in 1969 after the police raided a popular gay hang out called the Stonewall Inn bar. The Stonewall riots were a huge factor in changing LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. In London (1972), 2000 people marched in the first Pride festival celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and supporting equal rights of Queer+ people.

Fast-forward four decades of fighting for equal rights, and the LGBTQ+ community finally had the right to legally marry in England, Wales and Scotland in 2013. Northern Ireland legalised same sex marriage in 2019. Legalising marriage for the LGBTQ+ community was a huge symbol of acceptance and legitimisation of queer love.

Queen’s University has got some amazing queer+ groups taking up space across campus, giving LGBTQ+ staff and students a place to be themselves, feel safe and make new LGBTQ+ friendships/networks. The Pride society, PRISM and PLUS are three groups that cater to Queen’s University’s LGBTQ+ community, from undergraduate students to postgraduate students and staff.

When I moved to Belfast from rural Tyrone, I had no queer+ friends; there was no one in my office that was queer+ and I was craving to feel like part of the community. So, I contacted the Students Union Postgraduate Officer, Jamie-Lukas Campbell, and asked if there was a specific group for queer people at Queen’s University. They promptly got back to me and said there wasn’t a specific group for postgraduates but if I wanted to make one then we could do it together. I must admit, at the time it was a scary thought. I wasn’t out, and I knew being a leader of a queer+ group would break the ‘glass closet’ I was hiding in; but the need to fill the void of no queer+ friends was all I could think about.

A few weeks later at a Graduate School event - The Wine and Cheese Night - I met another queer person for the first time. The sheer joy I felt connecting with just one more queer person was incredible. I asked the amazing Jasmine Ross that night to help me get PLUS up and running for postgraduates at Queen’s. Many meetings later, trying to decide on a name for our group which could help keep the anonymity of those who might be questioning their sexuality, gender identity, and who are not publicly out; ‘PLUS’ was born.

We had our first event in January which had 50 LGBTQ+ postgraduates and staff come together, celebrating the start of a new journey for LGBTQ+ connections across campus. PLUS is specifically for queer+ postgraduate students, especially those questioning or not publicly out. It doesn’t matter if you are a master’s student, PhD researcher or Post-doctoral researcher, you are all welcome at PLUS. We can give you a safe, fun space to express yourself. Our next event, “Pizza Party”, is on the 7^th of March 2023 in the Graduate School room TR2, 5-7pm. Come along, we would love to meet you!