LGBT+ History Month 2021 Programme

The University is committed to LGBT+ Equality and to creating a community of staff, student, stakeholders and visitors that is inclusive of all people irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is committed to combating homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and enbyphobia in all its forms.

This LGBT+ History Month the University of Wolverhampton will present a series of online talks, workshops and other events to explore the unique challenges that LGBT+ people face and celebrate their unique contribution to society.

Please see below for information about the events that you can get involved in. 

I'll Cover You: Performing Angel in Rent with Alex Thomas-Smith, Will Wilhelm and Layton Williams

On Friday 4th February 2021 at 4pm, the University of Wolverhampton presents an online talk with Alex Thomas-Smith, Will Wilhelm and Layton Williams.

The musical Rent holds an important place in the hearts of many LGBTQ people with its central positioning of two queer couples and its setting in the shadow of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. Alex Thomas-Smith, Will Wilhelm and Layton Williams have all performed as Angel in recent productions of Rent in Manchester, Chicago and on the UK tour.

This panel is hosted by Dr James Lovelock and will look at how the role of Angel can be interpreted in different ways according to emerging gender and sexual identities in the 21st century.

For more details about the presenters, or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ill-cover-you-performing-angel-in-rent-tickets-138409688103?aff= 

LGBTQ + Themed Quiz

On Tuesday 9th February 2021 at 8pm, Wolverhampton Students' Union is hosting a special LGBTQ+ History Month that is open to staff and students! 

Prizes are on offer for the quiz winner! The price up for grabs this week is a £20 Amazon gift voucher! 

As part of this event you'll need to download the Speedquizzing App. Read our guide on how to download the app here!

If you bring 4 friends, you will get a £10 Amazon voucher! If you bring 2 friends, extra 100 points to your final score will be added!

To join the event please use the following Zoom link - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82268196178

LGBT+ History Month Discussion Groups

Due to being unable to organise film screenings during the coronavirus pandemic, the University of Wolverhampton will be hosting a series of discussions about freely available LGBT+ media that people can watch in their own time. Please note that these discussions groups are a safe space for discussion and therefore unlike other LGBT+ History Month events will not be recorded for future distribution.

The events are:

On Wednesday 10th February 2021 at 4pm, we will be discussing the repression of LGBT+ people in Chechnya as depicted in "Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge". Part of the BBC's Storyville documentary series, it lays bare Chechnya's deadly war against its LGBT+ citizens and which reveals the bravery of those running rescue missions to protect the republic's LGBT+'s community. The film can be watched at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kjnt.

The discussion will focus on what we have learnt from the film before discussing other examples of LGBT+ worldwide. It will also provide staff and students with information about the steps the University of Wolverhampton is taking to protect people who work or study abroad.

To book your place in the discussion please visit, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-discussion-group-on-the-global-struggle-for-lgbt-equality-tickets-139804020589 

On Wednesday 17th February 2021 at 4pm, we will be discussing how the media depicts LGBT+ women, centred on the groundbreaking 1971 documentary "The Important Thing Is Love" . The documentary both captures the casual bigotry that lesbians faced in 1970s Britain, but also their perspective on their lives and place in society. The film is available to watch for free at https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-important-thing-is-love-1971-online.

The discussion will be focused on what we have learnt about LGBT+ women's experiences of 1970s Britain, what issues there were with how they were depicted by the media back then and what are the enduring issues that we face with regards to LGBT+ women's representation.

To book your place in the discussion please visit, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-discussion-group-on-media-depictions-of-lgbt-women-tickets-139808941307

On Wednesday 24th February 2021 at 4pm, we will be discussing the experience of gay and bisexual men living through the first wave of the AIDS pandemic in the 1908s, as depicted in "It's A Sin". An instant classic, the Russell T Davies drama is inspired by the real life experiences of himself, his friends and other people who lived through a decade from the growing realisation that gay and bisexual men were suddenly vulnerable to a deadly new disease. The entire series can be watched at https://www.channel4.com/programmes/its-a-sin  and is airing weekly on Channel 4.

The discussion will focus on how viewers processed the drama, and its depicition of the initial wave of the AIDs pandemic. It will also explore the enduring legacy of AIDs pandemic within the LGBT+ community, a legacy that endures to this day.

To book your place in the discussion please visit, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-discussion-group-on-the-aids-pandemic-its-legacy-tickets-139807358573 

Some Other Me: Bisexual and pansexual representation in theatre with Arun Blair-Mangat, Callum Heinrich and Beth Hinton-Lever

On Friday 12th February 2021 at 4pm, the University of Wolverhampton presents an online talk with Arun Blair-Mangat, Callum Heinrich and Beth Hinton-Lever.

Queer representation is beginning to expand in film and television, with bisexual and pansexual characters beginning to appear shows such as Doctor Who and Schitt's Creek. Arun Blair-Mangat (& Juliet), Callum Heinrich (Mamma Mia) and Beth Hinton-Lever (West Side Story).

Join Dr James Lovelock to discuss their experiences as bisexual and pansexual writers and performers in the theatre industry, focusing on how theatre can expand its range of queer representation in future productions.

For more details about the presenters, or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/some-other-me-bisexual-and-pansexual-representation-in-theatre-tickets-138413322975?aff= 

LGBT+ History Month: Pronouns – 5 Top Tips

On Tuesday 16th February 2021 at 4pm, the University of Wolverhampton presents a talk with Chloe Foster: come and learn about why pronouns are important, particularly to most trans and non-binary people.

In this talk Chloe will share with you her 5 top tips to help you feel more comfortable with how/when/whether to ask people their pronouns, and what to do if you make a mistake. You’ll also learn about the gender-neutral pronoun ‘they’ and why it’s important to increasing numbers of people.

We use pronouns all the time when we refer to other people in our lives (perhaps without even thinking about it) but how many of us have asked our friends what their pronouns are?

' I would love to see a future where asking for pronouns is much more commonplace in life. Join us, to help play your part in reaching this goal'.

The event will last 1 hour with around 15 mins at the end for Q&A.

For more details about the presenter, or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-month-pronouns-5-top-tips-tickets-136013115891?aff= 

The life of Pierre Seel: Remembering LGBT+ victims of the Holocaust

On Tuesday 16th February 2021 at 6pm, the The University of Wolverhampton presents a talk with journalist Andrea Carlo.

In the midst of LGBT History Month and the enduring struggle for equality around the world, it is vital to remember one of the most tragic, yet overlooked, episodes in queer history: the persecution and murder of thousands of LGBT+ people during the Third Reich. In this talk, journalist Andrea Carlo will look at the life of Pierre Seel, one of the few gay Holocaust survivors to speak openly about his experience, and his poignant testimony of life during and after imprisonment in a concentration camp.

For more details about the presenter, or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-life-of-pierre-seel-remembering-lgbt-victims-of-the-holocaust-tickets-135663686739?aff= 

Queer Writing Panel with Finn Anderson, Tania Azevedo and Laura Schein

On Friday 19th February 2021 at 4pm, the University of Wolverhampton is pleased to present a talk with writers Finn Anderson, Tania Azevedo and Laura Schein.

This panel will be a Q+A session with industry writers who have created LGBTQ characters within their work. Finn Anderson and Tania Azevedo collaborated on several musicals including A Mother’s Song and The Bowmaker, and Laura Schein co-wrote and starred in the off-Broadway hit Emojiland.

The University of Wolverhampton encourages original writing as part of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Performing Arts and Creative Writing.

For more details about the presenter, or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/queer-writing-panel-with-finn-anderson-tania-azevedo-and-laura-schein-tickets-138416566677?aff= 

The Louder We Get: An LGBTQ concert-lecture for LGBTQ History Month

On Friday 23rd February 2021 at 7pm, the University of Wolverhampton invites you to join the LGBTQ Performing Arts Research Project for an evening of songs, poems and discussion about LGBTQ representation in the performing arts.

The event will include performances from our Performing Arts students as well as mini-panels about a range of topics that our members have been researching over the past few months.

This year's concert-lecture will be a pre-recorded from our living rooms due to COVID-19 restrictions.

To book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-louder-we-get-an-lgbtq-concert-lecture-for-lgbtq-history-month-tickets-137609448565?aff= 

LGBT+ History Month: Sexuality and Design

On Wednesday 24th February 2021, the University of Wolverhampton presents a virtual session that will open our minds to the prejudices, stereotypes and lack of identity that 3D designs may incur through sexuality, culture, race and religion. Lecturers and students will have an input into the subject matter for the day, making this a relevant topic to making the school of art a more inclusive organisation. The knowledge gained will help designers open the possibilities and opportunities for a more creative society.

All are welcome to join the conversation!

To book your place onto the event, please visit  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-month-sexuality-and-design-tickets-137416788313?aff= 

LGBT+ History Month: Coaches’ Kitchen - Queer Kitchen edition

On Thursday 25th February 2021 at 12pm, the University brings you Coaches’ Kitchen: Queer Kitchen edition. Coaches' Kitchen is about gathering around in our virtual kitchens, crying over onions, exchanging stories, asking questions, and enjoying the company. Everyone is welcome to join in with the cooking if you feel up to it, or you can simply put your headphones in and pretend you're not alone in your house for a couple of hours. 

A delightfully bizarre attempt to unearth truths and create some delicious queer food. Sometimes we eat queer food - food that does not seem mainstream, but yet is. It is OK, you can eat it. Come out of the food closet. What is queer cooking? Often this queer food sits at the back of the cupboard, unknown, underrepresented, food that lacks critical acclaim from foodies, but is most nutritious indeed.

“Queer food is not the ingredients, the cooks, the diners, the labels — it’s in the make.” (Fitzpatrick, 2018)

For more information about the event or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbt-history-month-coaches-kitchen-queer-kitchen-edition-tickets-136875960683?aff= 

LGBTQ+ Reading Group on Sick Woman Theory by Johanna Hedva

On Thursday 25th February 2021 at 3pm, the University of Wolverhampton will host a LGBTQ+ Reading Group led by artist and lecturer Gavin Rogers. This participant led reading group will collectively read Johanna Hedva, Sick Woman Theory. What does it mean to exist on the edges of society? Why is being “female”, being “unnormal”, being “sick” seen as a burden to a money driven capitalist worlds obsessed with wellness? “In her Sick Woman Theory, writer and performer Johanna Hedva suggests that the dominant discourse on political action, drawing largely as it does from Hannah Arendt's faith in the political effect of bodies in the street, is too narrow a definition of how we engage the political.

For more information about the event or to book your place onto the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lgbtq-reading-group-tickets-136812653329?aff=

Inclusive Practice Seminar Series 

Each month the University of Wolverhampton's College of Learning & Teaching and Equality & Diversity Unit will together host a seminar about Inclusive Practice.These seminars will explore the lived experience and research of an academic or practitoner to identify ways that we can be more inclusive in teaching, pastoral or administrative work.

Forthcoming events:

The holy month of Ramadan is ideally the time when Muslims like to stay at home and enjoy blessed moments of Ramadan. But, of course it will be different for the students who attend the university or stay at their accommodation. They will feel lonely, missing their families if they are away, making their own food arrangements after a long day of fasting whilst preparing for their exams. Even if they are home they will still have to balance the need to suceed in their exams whilst fasting.

Chaplaincy staff will be their to support and help them virtually and guide them in blessed moments of Ramadan so that they attain ultimate goal of the month, as well as feeling energetic physically and spiritually.This presentation will provide other staff members in the university the information they need to support Muslim supports throughout Ramadan. Topics to be covered include:

Ramadan, importance, the history of fasting, purpose and meaning

The month of Ramadan start and end time of fasting day and what and when can be consumed something.

The impacts of fasting on the human body and brain.

How students can keep good balance between fasting and exams/assessments.

How staff members can help those students who are fasting

To book your place on the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inclusive-practice-seminar-how-to-support-people-during-ramadan-tickets-139814054601 

On Monday 8th March at 12pm, the University will celerate International Women's Month with a special talk from Jenni Jones, Lisa Burbidge-Brown, Hajrija Dergic & Julia Clarke about the diverse ways women succeed in the workplace. They will explore recent research on women in the workplace together with the voices of inspirational women in the region who have successful navigated the ‘glass labyrinth’. We know it’s there. We know it gets in the way. But we don’t need to let it. The event will be interactive, and participants will be encouraged to share and explore the key roles models that have supported them along the way, so we can more fully appreciate how women are having a huge and positive impact on the ever changing world of work.

To book your place on the event, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inclusive-practice-seminar-navigating-the-glass-labyrinth-tickets-139815713563