I’ve been going back and doing some further research on conflict & communities as part of my FMP. Reading about, and in some cases remembering some of the things that happened to the LGBT+ community in the UK over the last 30+ years, I feel sick.
On the flip side, we do now have the Equality Act, “Equal Marriage” (still not quite), amongst other provisions (although Trans folk still got screwed in (not so) subtle ways by the EM, EA, GRA acts and subsequent alterations).
We’re also still not afraid to back down from a fight. Although I wish we’d stop fighting each other so much. That means listening to each other. That means having the courage to admit when you fucked up. It is fucking hard - I know from personal experience that the whole not backing down thing is a blessing & a curse.
If anyone has access to news archives, take a gander at these newspaper editions:
The Guardian, December 15 1987
The Guardian, May 2 1988
The Independent, May 14 1990
The Independent, December 18 1990
The Independent, February 28 1994
The Guardian, May 1 1999
The Independent, May 1 1999
(any UK newspaper from 1 May 1999)
The Guardian, June 6 2005