LGBT+ History Month 2026
From BC to AD LGBT+ people have existed. 2026 will be the 22nd UK LGBT+ History Month, the first UK LGBT+ History Month was in 2005. The month highlights the incredible things LGBT+ people in all our diversity have achieved throughout history, in all areas of life.
Over the past 50+ years Schools OUT have worked to #educateOUTprejudice and usualise LGBT+ lives, creating learning environments where all LGBT+ people feel safe, seen, and supported. This is why, following the repeal of Section 28, we founded UK LGBT+ History Month to be a dedicated space to celebrate our rich and diverse history, herstory, theirstory. With events in the USA, Europe and the UK it is even more important that we:
- Claim our past
- Celebrate our present
- Create our future
On Friday 7th November 2025 we launched the 2026 theme from the Royal Society of Chemistry, at Burlington House in London.
Science & Innovation
Science and innovation impacts our daily lives, from the technology we use to developments in healthcare, as well as helping us to address global challenges such as climate change and access to clean energy.
Diverse teams are essential for the development of solutions which benefit everyone, yet we might often struggle to name LGBT+ scientists and innovators. The 2026 theme for LGBT+ History Month aims to highlight the contributions of LGBT+ people historically and today, and to raise awareness of the people behind them.
Alongside celebrating LGBT+ people, it is important to highlight the harm that LGBT+ people have historically faced as a result of the ways in which science has been explored and misapplied in the past, such as through the medicalisation and pathologisation of LGBT+ identities, and how we still need to address this today.
Each year we choose five LGBT+ historical figures in line with the theme to highlight. This year we have chosen:
- Barbara Burford, a medical researcher who established NHS equality and diversity guidelines
- Charles Beyer, a locomotive engineer and a founding member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
- Elke Mackenzie, a botanist who researched lichens in Antarctica
- Jemma Redmond, a biotechnologist who developed 3D bioprinters to create tissues and organs
- Robert Boyle, a founder of modern chemistry and of the modern scientific method
Who is LGBT+ History Month for?
UK LGBT+ History Month is for everyone; whether you work in education, a museum, a library or an art gallery, a business, a service, or are a member of a network/social group or an individual.
When is it celebrated?
It is celebrated every February across the UK and was founded in 2004 by Schools OUT UK co-chairs, Paul Patrick & Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders. It was first celebrated in February 2005 and 2026 will be the 22nd UK LGBT+ History Month.
Why was it founded?
For so long LGBT+ people’s history was hidden, following the repeal of Section 28 Schools OUT created UK LGBT+ History Month to:
- claim our past
- celebrate our present
- create our future
We wanted to create a dedicated space to celebrate our rich and diverse history, herstory and theirstory.
