A North East organisation dedicated to LGBT issues and education is holding a day of free public talks to coincide with LGBT History Month in February.
LGBT History Project NE is bringing together respected speakers, including Lisa Power MBE and Justine Smithies, for a series of talks and short sessions open to the public on February 11, held at Newcastle Civic Centre. The talks are between 9am and 5pm, with a limited amount of tickets available to book through Eventbrite.
The event is being launched at an evening on February 10, featuring speeches from Councillor Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council, Inspector Nicola Wearing from Northumbria Police, and trans activist Tara Stone.
Drew Dalton, Chair of LGBT History Project NE and Lecturer in Social Sciences at the University of Sunderland, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to launch our community group to the wider North East. We have grown in size over the last year and hope that the popularity of our public day will mean we can keep offering more of these events in the future.”
LGBT History Project NE is an Unincorporated Charitable Organisation which seeks to promote the inclusiveness of LGBT history. It is a regional based organisation covering Northumberland to County Durham, and seeks to increase the visibility of the lives and communities of LGBT people.
The project is supported by the University of Sunderland, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LAGLA) North East, Unison, and the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
As well as a series of free public talks, LGBT History Project NE is holding a free teacher professional development event on February 18, at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre. It will Include talks and resources, and is designed to help and support teachers to bring LGBT issues alive through the curriculum.
Drew added: “It is vital that teachers are aware of LGBT issues in education, not only because OFSTED require this now, but because an increasing number of young people are coming out earlier in their lives, and it is vital to have the support there for them.”
For more information on either the public event or the teacher professional development day visit http://www.lgbthistoryproject.