Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans
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office@intercomtrust.org.uk
Tel: 01392 201015

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LGBT History Month started 4 years ago with the aim of having a national celebration of LGBT culture, heritage and history.


2009 is the fifth National LGBT History Month and we plan to make it the best yet here in Devon, with the first (ever anywhere) LGBT History Pride event, a moment in history in itself.

History Pride will have a family friendly feel to it.
We have many plans, great ideas and wonderful people already in the pipeline these include;


LGBT archeological dig
LGBT art work
Storytelling
Oral history workshop, archiving and researching skills
High profile panel discussion and much more.
Volunteer and make this an event you can be proud of.
sarah@intecomtrust.org.uk

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer Projects

Intercom Trust currently has an abundance of worthwhile projects that lack persons to pursue them.

email: sarah@intercomtrust.org.uk
www.intercomtrust.org.uk

If there is a project here that you have an interest in working on, please contact Sarah or Tess. If you have another worthwhile project in mind, please suggest it. This list is constantly being added to as people think up good ideas. Suggesting an idea simply adds it to the list; it does not commit you to working on the project. Note to volunteers: Please do not start on a project before consulting us. There may be some work already done on your project.

Outstanding Projects

Office of LGBT Resources Library Catalog
We require a volunteer to catalog, sort, and arrange Intercom Trust’s vast collection of newspaper cuttings, books, videos and magazine archives. We do not currently have a complete record of this resource and need to catalog them for lending and research purposes. We would prefer that this catalog be a SQL database (or other web friendly form). Eventually we would like to integrate this database into Intercom’s website. If you do not have the technical knowledge but are interested in doing the cataloging, please do not hesitate to contact us.

LGBT Organisations, projects, clubs, groups, media and business, a list
This project will consist of gathering the names of LGBT related groups, businesses media outlets etc from the past to the present day and building a list for eventual publication as a timeline on the web and paper form. YOU MUST OBTAIN THE INFORMED PERMISSION of all persons added to the list. We will check on the permission before any publication. Some LGBT individuals may not want their names added to this list. You must respect this.

Guide to LGBT History Terminology, books, and web sites as a LGBT Resources
This will be a resource for people interested in learning about the various terms methods, resources etc. available for people interested in LGBT History.. It will be posted to web on completion and available in paper based form. The target audience is a person with little or no experience of LGBT History or researching LGBT History.

History of Intercom Trust
Locate, compile, organize and present information regarding the history of Intercom Trust and the efforts that preceded its establishment. This should tie in closely with LGBT History Month. The project will be posted to web on completion and become part of the exhibitions, activities and discussions etc. during LGBT History Month

LGBT University groups in the South West Peninsula. A History
Gather information on LGBT organisations and groups that do or have existed on the various University Campuses in the SW Peninsula. Very little of this information currently exists. This project will be posted to the web on completion and available as an exhibition etc. during LGBT History Month.

National/World History of the LGBT History Movement
Create a primer for those interested in the history of the LGBT rights movement and the major events that have shaped it. This is primarily intended for publication online and thus does not necessarily have to be entirely original writing; it may simply act as a gateway to further web resources. If you would be interested in creating a paper version, obviously more original written content would be required.

Oral histories of LGBT People oin South West Peninsula
You will interview and record the oral histories of older LGBT People in the South West for an archive and eventually as a resource for LGBT History Month and other LGBT History events.


LGBT History coordinator
Contact Sarah Stephenson


Oversight
All volunteers will have discretion and authority with regards to their chosen projects. Projects will be delegated and overseen by Sarah. Some projects might require support and guidance from other members of Intercom Trust.
Funding
None of these projects should require significant funding. If funding is required, a budget must be submitted to Paul Roberts. DO NOT SPEND MONEY THAT HAS NOT BEEN REQUESTED AND GRANTED. Your spending might not be approved and you might have to pay for this spending out of your own pocket.

LGBT London Badge

v cool

Visit LGBT London

20th Annual Lambda Literary awards Announced

Finalists for the 20th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Announced


The complete list is below and more information is available at the Lambda Literary Foundation website.

Congratulations to all of the finalists!

LGBT ANTHOLOGIES
• Juicy Mother 2, Jennifer Camper (Manic D Press)
• Vital Signs, Richard Canning (Carroll & Graf)
• First Person Queer, Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Men of Mystery: Homoerotic Tales of Intrigue and Suspense, Sean Meriwether & Greg Wharton, (Haworth)
• Baby Remember My Name, Michelle Tea (Carroll & Graf)

LGBT ARTS & CULTURE
• Media Queered, Kevin Barnhurst (Peter Lang Publishing)
• Art That Dares, Kittredge Cherry (AndroGyne Press)
• The View From Here, Matthew Hays (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• Feeling Backward, Heather Love (Harvard University Press)
• Other Men's Sons, Michael Rowe (Cormorant Books)

LGBT CHILDRENS/YOUNG ADULT
• Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, Peter Cameron (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
• Freak Show, James St. James (Dutton Children's/Penguin)
• Hero, Perry Moore (Hyperion)
• Saints of Augustine, P.E. Ryan (HarperTeen)
• Parrotfish, Ellen Wittlinger (Simon & Schuster)

LGBT DRAMA/THEATER
• Dose: Plays & Monologues, Dan Bernitt (Sawyer House)
• Niagara Falls, Victor Bumbalo (Broadway Play Publishing)
• Return of the Caffe Cino, edited by Steve Susoyev and George Birimisa (Moving Finger Press)

LGBT EROTICA
• The Golden Age of Lesbian Erotica, Victoria Brownworth & Judith M. Redding (Magic Carpet Books)
• Red Light, J.D. Glass (Bold Strokes Books)
• Ardennian Boy, William Maltese & Wayne Gunn (MLR Press)
• The Mammoth Book of New Gay Erotica, Lawrence Schimel (Carrol & Graf)
• Homosex, Simon Sheppard (Running Press)
• Every Dark Desire, Fiona Zedde (Kensington)

LGBT NONFICTION
• Between Women, Sharon Marcus (Princeton University Press)
• Pink Harvest, Toni Morosevich (Mid-List Press)
• Other Men's Sons, Michael Rowe (Cormorant Books)
• Gay Artists in Modern American Culture, Michael S. Sherry (University of North Carolina Press)
• Imagining Transgender, David Valentine (Duke University Press)

LGBT POETRY
• Blackbird and Wolf, Henri Cole (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• A Gathering of Matter/A Matter of Gathering, Dawn Lundy Martin (University of Georgia Press)
• Otherwise Obedient, Carol Potter (Red Hen Press)
• Fata Morgana, Reginald Shepherd (University of Pittsburgh)
• The Second Person, C. Dale Young (Four Way Books)
• Human Resources, Rachel Zolf (Coach House Books)

LGBT SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR
• Wicked Gentlemen, Ginn Hale (Blind Eye Books)
• A Companion to Wolves, Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear (Tor Books)
• Spaceman Blues: A Love Song, Brian Francis Slattery (Tor Books)
• The Dust of Wonderland, Lee Thomas (Alyson Books)
• Ha'penny, Jo Walton (Tor Books)

LGBT STUDIES
• Writing Desire, Bertram Cohler (University of Winsconsin Press)
• The First Man-Made Man, Pagan Kennedy (Bloomsbury)
• Between Women, Sharon Marcus (Princeton University Press)
• Caribbean Pleasure Industry, Mark Padilla (University of Chicago Press)
• Once You Go Black: Choice, Desire, & the Black American Intellectual, Robert Reid-Pharr (NYU Press)

BISEXUAL
• Look Both Ways, Jennifer Baumgardner (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)
• Becoming Visible, Beth Firestein, Ed., (Columbia University Press)
• Split Screen, Brett Hartinger (Harper Collins Children's Books)
• The Tourists, Jeff Hobbs (Simon & Schuster)
• Stray, Sheri Joseph (MacAdam/Cage)

TRANSGENDER
• Transparent, Cris Beam (Harcourt
• Male Bodies, Women's Souls, LeeRay M. Costa, PhD, (Haworth)
• The Marrow's Telling, Eli Clare (Homofactus Press)
• What Becomes You, Aaron Raz Link & Hilda Raz (University of Nebraska Press)
• Nobody Passes, Mattilda, aka Matt Bernstein Sycamore (Seal Press)

LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION
• Lockjaw, Holly Farris (Gival Press)
• Dahlia Season, Myriam Gurba (Manic D Press)
• Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking, Aoibheann Sweeney (The Penguin Press)
• Breathing Underwater, Lu Vickers (Alyson Books)
• O Street, Corrina Wycoff (Other Voices)

GAY DEBUT FICTION
• Tales from the Town of Widows, James Canon (Harpercollins)
• A Push and a Shove, Christopher Kelly (Alyson Books)
• That Was Then, Michael Quadland (Red Hen Press)
• SoMa, Kemble Scott (Kensington)
• Freak Show, James St. James (Dutton Children's/Penguin)

WOMEN'S FICTION
• Biting the Apple, Lucy Jane Bledsoe (Carroll & Graf)
• The IHOP Papers, Ali Leibegott (Carroll & Graf)
• Greetings from Jamaica, Mari San Giovanni (Bywater Books)
• The Child, Sarah Schulman (Carroll & Graf)
• The Kind of Girl I Am, Julia Watts (Spinsters Ink)
• The Mandrake Broom, Jess Wells (Firebrand Books)

WOMEN'S ROMANCE
• Sheridan's Fate, Gun Brooke (Bold Strokes Books)
• The Road Home, Frankie J. Jones (Bella Books)
• Out of Love, K. G. MacGregor (Bella Books)
• For Now, for Always, Marianne K. Martin (Bywater Books)
• When Dreams Tremble, Radclyffe (Bold Strokes Books)

WOMEN'S MYSTERY
• Wall of Silence, 2nd Ed., Gabrielle Goldsby (Bold Strokes Books)
• Mortal Groove, Ellen Hart (St. Martin's Press)
• In the Name of the Father, Gerri Hill (Bella Books)
• Selective Memory, Jennifer L. Jordan (Spinsters Ink)
• Laura's War, Ursula Steck (Bella Books)

WOMEN'S MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
• Comfort Food for Breakups, Marusya Bocurkiuw (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• And Now We Are Going to Have a Party, Nicola Griffith (Payseur & Schmidt)
• An Army of Ex-Lovers, Amy Hoffman (University of Massachusetts Press)
• Two Lives: Gertrude & Alice, Janet Malcolm (Yale University Press)
• Waiting for the Call, Jaqueline Taylor (University of Michigan Press)

MEN'S FICTION
• Call Me By Your Name, Andre Aciman (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• First Person Plural, Andrew W.M. Beierle (Kensington)
• Dark Reflections, Samuel R. Delany (Carroll & Graf)
• Fellow Travelers, Thomas Mallon (Pantheon)
• The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue, Manuel Munoz (Algonquin)

MEN's ROMANCE
• Changing Tides, Michael Thomas Ford (Kensington)
• A Secret Edge, Robin Reardon (Kensington)
• Right Side of the Wrong Bed, Frederick Smith (Kensington)
• Broadway Nights, Seth Rudetsky (Alyson Books)
• A Few Hints and Clews, Robert Taylor (Haworth)

MEN's MYSTERY
• Double Abduction, Chris Beakey (J. Boylston/ ibooks, Inc.)
• Stain of the Berry, Anthony Bidulka (Insomniac Press)
• Pierce, Roberto Ferrari (Haworth)
• Murder in the Rue Chartres, Greg Herren (Alyson Books)
• Mahu Surfer, Neil Plakcy (Alyson Books)
• Drag Queen in the Court of Death, Caro Soles (Haworth)

MEN'S MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
• Forgiving Troy, Thom Bierdz (Hudson House)
• Dog Years, Mark Doty (HarperCollins)
• The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein, Martin Duberman (Knopf)
• The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin's Theory, Kenny Fries (Perseus Books)
• What Becomes You, Aaron Raz Link & Hilda Raz (University of Nebraska Press)
• Mississippi Sissy, Kevin Sessums (St. Martin's Press)

A Challenge if you would like

LGBT History Month

A Challenge
How many of these questions can you answer?

1 Can you name a famous lesbian on the Radio
2 When and where did LGBT History month first take place?
3 Why do many people feel it is important to celebrate LGBT History Month?
4 Do you know who our first gay MP was?
5 Do you know which Countries still have the death penalty for gay men?
6 Do you know any great lesbians authors from the past?

The answers to all these questions can be found in the following information.

LGBT

LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. LGBT is frequently used to save our breath when talking about the community and people who identify as LGBT. For sometime LGBT Communities and people were known as homosexual. As many people consider this defines them simply by their sexual practices the use of this word needs caution. The popular symbol of the Rainbow flag encompasses all the LGBT Communities and people under one identifiable symbol. The LGBT communities and people are as diverse as any community here in the UK. They are white, black, etc. Some celebrations of LGBT History Month take the lack of basic information, what does the Rainbow Flag mean, where does the Pink Triangle come from, where does the word GAY come from as their first starting point

In the South West we have a growing sense of the numbers of LGBT People. In any given area it is suggested that 7-12% of people will indentify as LGB or T. There is a growing understanding of devastating effects of homophobia inside and outside school. We would therefore like to make LGBT History Month an opportunity to pay particular focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history and culture. Reducing homophobia and the tragic consequences this kind of bullying/discrimination can have on individuals and families.

Homophobic bullying in schools

We have all heard it, in the classroom, in the playground, in the staff room, on the football field the use of the word GAY in a derogatory way. There is a demand on schools to ensure that they prepare pupils for a life in a diverse society. Some schools have been praised for the way they do this. In many however OFSTED have suggested that this is an area for development. Making links with events such as LGBT History Month is one approach that every school can use to address this area of learning.

Famous LGBT People

Many LGBT people living in the UK have achieved great success. LGBT History Month web site gives a list of many of these.
www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk

Sir Ian McKellen: Actor and gay rights activist
Ned Sherrin: Radio 4 Bbroadcaster, author and stage director
Amélie Simone Mauresmo: French professional tennis player
Peter Benjamin Mandelson: Politician

The origins of LGBT History Month

LGBT History Month has been celebrated in Wales, Scotland and Britain every February since 2004.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT community. We are committed to celebrate its diversity and that of the society as a whole. We encourage everyone to see diversity and cultural pluralism as the positive forces that they are and endeavor to reflect this in all we do.
Since 1997 the position of LGBT people has improved as a result of human rights legislation. Section 28 was repealed in 2003.
Now it’s time we began to deal with the legacy of silence. This is not only in the interests of LGBT people but of our whole society. Silence breeds ignorance and distorted imaginings. From these come, at best, embarrassment; at worst, hostility and hate crimes.

Together, we can break through the silence that surrounds the lives of people who do not conform to conventional notions about sexuality and gender. We can help to end the sense of isolation and bewilderment felt by so many LGBT people, particularly the young. We can make bullying unacceptable. We can also help to dispel the anxiety and confused rage that drive some people to aggressive behavior. (Taken from LGBT History web site)

Understanding who we are, through culture and heritage.

Throughout history we can find many examples of people who, for one reason or another, refused to conform to the outward signs of the sex to which they were born. We also find many stories of people who loved their own sex. Some of these people were famous; some of them obscure. Some of them experienced serious persecution; others were luckier. Some are remembered for the contributions they made to our culture and society. Their personal lives are usually suppressed or censored, except in specialist publications.

To understand our present and imagine our future, we must first gain insight into our past. This is true of us as individuals; it is also true of societies. LGBT History Month is a time when we can explore and share some hidden aspects of our country’s past, both recent and remote. This hidden history belongs to all of us; it is part of our inheritance.

A grass-roots initiative

LGBT History Month has been welcomed by the government. However, its origins lie with the grass roots.
The idea came from School’s Out! a campaigning organisation of LGBT people involved in education. They took their inspiration partly from the US, where LGBT History Month has been celebrated since 1994. They also make respectful acknowledgement to the example of Black History Month.
LGBT History Month has grown in the last four years, in many cases there has not been a single organiser which has meant that local authorities, schools, Universities and other organisations have been able to plan events that suit their communities beat. The number of schools in the South West Peninsula celebrating LGBT History Month is minimal at best. During the coming year we hope to offer organisational support to help schools celebrate LGBT History Month.
(Taken from www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk)

Questions and Answers

It has been suggested by some that, ‘there aren’t any here’ or that ‘we know our young people.’ To help to explain LGBT History Month and the ideas behind it we have produced some information aimed at young people.

Do we need to celebrate LGBT History Month really?

LGBT History Month is highly relevant to our diverse communities here in the South West Peninsula. An area of growth and development the SW Peninsula has a wealth of LGBT community groups and activities, LGBT Pride events are being held in more areas all the time, displaying the strength of the LGBT people, families and communities as a whole. There is evidence that LGBT young people are among the most likely to experience hate crime attacks inside school. There is also evidence that some Parents who identify as LGBT may have low self esteem and pride in their identity. One example of a parent under going gender reassignment was asked to collect her children from reception rather than the playground like all the other children. One parent was unhappy about taking her partner along to parents evening for fear of discovery of her sexual orientation.

www. Intercomtrust.org uk

LGBT History Month can focus young people’s minds on the achievements of LGBT people locally and nationally. It can give teachers an opportunity to raise the subject of their own sexual orientation safely. See Tes. article:
http://www.tes.co.uk/2434607
Q. So what is the Point in celebrating LGBT History Month?
A. To address a better understanding of the achievements of Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

There is a lack of knowledge and recognition of the contributions made by LGBT People in a wide range of fields, science, the Arts, literature, nursing, the military and so the list could go on. Many people know very little about the importance of Alan Turin the code breaker from Bletchley Park or that William Shakespeare is widely considered to have been bisexual.

Over the last ten years there has been a steady change in legislation, allowing Lesbian and gay men to hold a civil partnership, the media is beginning to pick up on LGBT History month with more discussion and historical programs including LGBT awareness. There is still a lot to learn.

Q. What good does it do, celebrating just LGBT History Month?
A. LGBT History Month is just a time when you can focus events and activists, it is not intended to be an isolated event.

There are many opportunities to celebrate, discuss and educate young people on the discoveries, achievements and contributions LGBT people have made throughout the curriculum and school year. If events are linked to curriculum themes they can make a valuable addition to young people learning.
Holocaust memorial Day: January 27th
International Women’s Day: March 8th
International Day Against Homophobia May: 17th
National Reading Year: Various months
International Peace week: June 11th
And there will be more.

Q. What kind of events is being promoted?
A. Take a look at www.lgbthistorymoth.org.uk there is a huge variety.

Talks by local LGBT groups, www.intercomtrust.org.uk can help you find the right group in your area willing or able to help. This face-to-face contact can reduce some the stereotypes young people have about LGBT people in general.
We have included a few lesson plans which you may find useful.

Q. What if celebrating LGBT History Month does more harm than good?
A. Prejudices can only be reduced when discussed openly in a supportive environment. Celebrating the cultural heritage of LGBT people if handled carefully can increase young people knowledge and learning.

If you would like support in planning or putting on events for LGBT History Month please get in touch.

Is lesbian good teminology?

Has the word LESBIAN gone now? Do we not remember our history?

Lesbian
Lesbian writer Emma Donoghue found that the term lesbian (with its modern meaning) was in use in the English language from at least the 17th century. A 1732 book by William King, The Toast, uses "lesbian loves" and "tribadism" interchangeably : "she loved Women in the same Manner as Men love them; she was a Tribad".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminology_of_homosexuality#Lesbianism

Sappho pictured here, is the incomparable lesbian poetess who takes us back to 7th Century B,C. This was time of outstanding importance in ancient history. Old civilizations were falling and new powers were rising.
Sappho's poetry was delicate and refined at a time before the great and perfect sculpture's who would go on and prove themselves to the test of times.
Sappho was born on or near 612 B,C.on the island of Lesbos a plentiful island off the coast of Greece. Eresos the town in which Sappho lived was ravaged by a ten year war in 606 B,C. The resident of the six towns of Lesbos were known as Lesbians and fought as one against the Athenians.

Sappho was always regarded in antiquity as a woman endowed with wisdom as well as with the gift of song; in an epigram written upon her by Pinytos it is said that 'her wise sayings are immortal'. Socrates classed her amongst the sophoi, "the Wise"

Unfortunately the early Church did not permit any appreciation of wisdom which it may have possessed to out balance prejudices: Sappho's poetry and wisdom were distroyed, burnt by the early Christians. Only a few fragments survived, the following lines are the lesbian Sappho's.

"Wealth without goodness is not harmless neighbour, but the uniting of both is the summit of fortune."

"you cannot bend a stiff mind."

Long live Lesbians
http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html
http://www.temple.edu/classics/sappho.html
http://www.classicpersuasion.org/pw/sappho/