Barr Beacon pupils have learned in assembly about the Beacon Values of Equal to Everyone and Never Discriminate which learning about LGBTQ History. This year’s focus has been on the contribution made to history by scientists and physicians that are within the LGBTQ+ community. Pupils learned about how, until 2003, the government made it impossible to teach about and learn about LGBTQ+. This meant that huge swathes of history were not acknowledged. In 2017, the goverment apologised for its pass policy, recognising that this was wholly inappropriate. 

LGBTQ+ communities have existed throughout history and are recorded as far back as ancient civilisations such as Mesopotamia, Roman Empire, China and Ancient Greece. These cultures included gender non-conformity and diverse identification that even defy modern identification. In short, LGBTQ+ communities are a part of our world and pupils were taught about role models we should be celebrating such as Cecil Belfield Clarke, a Barbadian physician and civil rights activisit and Sophia Jex Blake, an English physician who fought for women’s right to access the field of medicine.