LGBT History Month: Peace, Reconciliation and Activism

I’m back – with a series of articles to celebrate LGBT History Month UK. This year’s theme is Peace, Reconciliation and Activism. The logo (shown above) is designed by a Polish-born student at the University of Bedfordshire called Karolina Bednarz. It represents a Pride march.

The theme was chosen by the LGBT History Month organisers to recognise two events. First is the official centenary of the end of World War I with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Second is recognition of the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York which marked the beginning of the resurgence of gay rights activism in the USA. Ironically, both events took place on June 28th, 50 years apart.

While the peace treaty of 1919 created its own international problems it paved the way for the League of Nations and the United Nations. However, we should not forget that the efforts to bring peace after World War I did nothing to stop the rise of Nazism in Germany and the start of World War II, which began 80 years ago this year. Between both wars many European countries went through periods of hardship and upheaval as they tried to recover from war. Hardly a generation passed before the continent erupted into war again.

During this month I’ll write several articles on the theme of Peace, Reconciliation and Activism, as well as others of more general lgbt heritage, including the latest lgbt Olympian list.

I’ve written many articles in the past which can also be covered by the theme. Here are just a few. Click on the titles to view the article.

“Woman of Peace” – a look at Jane Addams, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

“Pioneering Pink Triangles” – a look at how Australian activists turned the Pink Triangle of Nazi persecution into a symbol of gay rights.

 

“Suffrage 100” – a look at the lesbian contribution to the campaign for women’s suffrage in the UK.

 

“Pride Cities” – a look at the first Pride marches on each of the seven continents.

 

“Holocaust Flags” – my designs for Holocaust Memorial flags for each of the persecuted communities.

 

“Four Founding Fathers” – a look at the men who formed the first gay rights organisation in Germany.

 

"Queer Achievement” – a look at the coat of arms of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General of the United Nations.

 

If you’d like to read other similar articles click on “activism” in the labels list.

 

The next post will be a collection of lgbt facts and trivia that you may like to use for a celebration event.