February is LGBT History Month, and the University of Nottingham is taking the opportunity to celebrate LGBT culture with the local community by hosting a series of exciting events including public lectures, film screenings, discussions and performances.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month is a powerful and thought-provoking event that takes place annually and aims to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of everyone. This will be the fifth year running that the University has organised a programme of events for LGBT History Month.
The 2018 theme for LGBT History Month is Geography: Mapping the World which in part celebrates the progression around the world over the last year to legalise same-sex marriage.
As well as in venues on University of Nottingham campuses, many events (most of which are free to attend) will take place in popular community venues around the city, including Nottingham Contemporary, Broadway Cinema, Five Leaves Bookshop and Rough Trade Nottingham.
By welcoming guests onto campus and bringing events out into the community, the University hopes to make it easier than ever for the public to get involved.
Speaking about this year’s LGBT History Month celebrations, Dr Max Biddulph, Chair of the University’s LGBT Staff Network, said:
“Welcome to UK LGBT History Month at the University of Nottingham. In line with the national festival of LGBT history, this year we explore the theme of ‘Geography.’ Speaking as both a Geographer and a gay man, it’s my view that the humanity that imbues this subject goes to the heart of LGBT+ experience. Whether it’s our relations with and movement through, socio-cultural space or the human processes experienced in it, our 2018 programme speaks to both historic and contemporary issues.
“Our focus is national and international, and we are delighted to welcome our Chinese guests in particular. Closer to home our events consider local experiences in terms of the present community of LGBT+ persons, and in terms of past experiences of space and the expression of desire. Rich experiences await. All are welcome. Enjoy!”
Dates for your diary
Key events throughout the month include:
— Beyond Marriage Equality: A Conversation with LGBTQ+ Activists from Taiwan and Nottingham
Tuesday 6 February, 7pm-9pm, Nottingham Contemporary
This event brings together leading LGBTQ+ activists from Taiwan and Nottingham to discuss the fight for marriage equality, what it does and doesn’t solve, and the work that remains ahead in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Legislator Mei-Nu Yu takes part in this public event. Registration is required.
The Taiwan Studies Programme is also delighted to announce that Mei-Nu Yu will be presenting a lecture on Taiwan Pride: Our Fight For Marriage Equality, Tuesday 6 February, 4-6pm, University Park.
— Queer Cinema as Art, Activism and Industry: Filmmaker Fan Popo in Conversation
Tuesday 6 February, 10:45am–Thursday 8 February, 5pm, University Park Campus
The Institute for Screen Industries Research (ISIR) presents a series of film screenings, director’s Q&As and workshops. Leading Chinese queer filmmaker Fan Popo will be in conversation, presenting film screenings and Q&As, give talks and workshops to students, attend research workshops, and meet Culture, Film and Media students and staff. Free public event, booking is not required.
— LGBTQ+: The Nottingham Experience
Wednesday 21 February, 6pm-7:30pm
Arts Centre Lecture Theatre, University Park Campus
In line with this year’s LGBT History Month theme Geography: Mapping the World, this free event, open to all, aims to put Nottingham on the map and focus on the experience of LGBTQ people in our city. A panel discussion will bring together representatives from the University of Nottingham, Nottingham City Council, Nottingham University Hospitals, the Nottingham LGBT Network and more, to each provide a unique perspective on what it is like to be LGBTQ in Nottingham today. Registration is required.
— Hooking Up: Gay Men, Spaces and Desire 1960-2018
Wednesday 28 February, 6:30pm-7:30pm
Djanogly Theatre, Nottingham Lakeside Arts
From the outset, the notion of ‘space’ has been central to the lives of gay and other men who have sex with men as a mechanism for making contact with each other. ‘Hooking up’ not only provides an opportunity for expressing sexuality and identity, but to gain love, affirmation and a sense of connection with a community. In this interactive free lecture we work with the genre of performance ethnography to use multi-media and the voices of men who experience ‘hooking up’ at three bench marks in time between 1960 and the present day. Registration is require, all welcome (suitable for 16+).
Get involved
The full events programme is available on the University’s LGBT History Month blog. All event links are now live for you to book your place.
For updates throughout the month, subscribe to the People and Culture blog or email peopleandculture@nottingham.ac.uk for more information.
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
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