LGBTQ+ History Month (and beyond)
February is LGBTQ+ History Month, celebrating the achievements of LGBTQ+ people and raising awareness of their histories and experiences.
We've gathered a selection of great learning resources from museums, galleries and art collections around the UK to support teachers in planning lessons for History Month – and throughout the year.
From teaching resources to trails through UK collections that highlight LGBTQ+ artists, objects and themes, these resources can be used both in the classroom and in home learning settings.
Teaching resources
Museum of London: LGBTQ+ and history
Explore LGBTQ+ history with these object-rich resources for secondary schools from the Museum of London.
The resources include a timeline of key moments in LGBTQ+ history, an exploration of how fashion was used in the past to indicate hidden LGBTQ+ identities and a resource exploring the life and writing of composer and Suffragette Ethel Smyth.
Explore Museum of London LGBTQ+ resources
Tate teaching resource: Thinking about gender and bodies
This downloadable resource from Tate provides suggestions for structuring discussions and activities to explore identity and gender. It includes advice for teachers on how to support open and inclusive conversations about gender with young people and also offers accessible art-making activities for the gallery and classroom.
Find out more and download the resource
Tate Kids: 5 LGBTQ+ Art Stories
YouTuber Olly Pike explores LGBTQ+ artists and their artworks in this Tate Kids animation.
Watch the Tate Kids animation: 5 LGBTQ+ art stories
National Museums Liverpool: LGBTQ+ timeline, terminology and history hub
National Museums Liverpool has gathered a range of articles, videos and audio from across their collections for their LGBTQ+ history hub. Although the hub has not been created specifically for schools, many of the hidden histories, oral histories and interviews with LGBTQ+ activists and icons would be useful to lesson planning and teaching secondary students.
There is also a handy timeline of the key moments in LGBTQ+ history and a useful LGBTQ+ terminology resource.
See the LGBTQ+ Timeline on the NML website
Explore NML’s LGBTQ+ terminology resource
Explore the NML's LGBTQ+ history hub
Collection trails: learning through artworks and objects
Discover artworks and objects in UK collections that have a story to tell about LGBTQ+ lives, histories and communities and explore artworks made by LGTBQ+ artists and artworks that feature LGBTQ+ people or themes.
National Museums Scotland: LGBTQIA+ Hidden Histories Trail
Listen to an audio trail highlighting unexplored LGBTQIA+ stories from across the National Museums Scotland collections. Although designed as a museum walkthrough, the objects and their accompanying audio recordings can also be explored online.
Find out more about the Hidden Histories trail on the NMS website
National Portrait Gallery: ‘I am me’ image gallery
See portraits of some of the LGBTQI figures and allies, in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection.
Visit the NPG and explore the image gallery
National Museums Liverpool: LGBTQ+ collections
From gender identity to activism and rights, National Museums Liverpool has grouped collection artworks and objects into themes relating to historic and contemporary LGBTQ+ life, experiences and culture.
They have also pulled together a 'Top 10' of LGBTQ+ objects from their collection.
Explore LGBTQ+ themes and objects with National Museums Liverpool
Visit the NML website to see their Top 10 LGBTQ+ objects
The British Museum: Desire, love, identity LGBTQ histories trail
From Classical sculptures to African masks, The British Museum’s collection trail explores objects through the themes of LGBTQ+ desire, love and identities.
The trail and objects can be explored on their website as well as in the galleries and a downloadable PDF version of the resource and audio commentaries can be downloaded from their website.
Visit Desire, love and identity: LGBTQ histories trail
Museum of London: London’s Queer Objects
Museum of London has a whole section on their website dedicated to LGBTQ+ history month where you can explore fascinating features and histories – including this trail through selected objects from their collection.
Discover London’s Queer Objects
Brighton Museum LGBTQ+ trail
Ten objects from Brighton Museum form a trail through their collection. The objects and their stories can also be explored on the Museum’s website.
Explore Brighton Museum’s LGBTQ+ trail
LGBTQ+ artists and artworks on Art UK
Explore more LGBTQ+ artists and artworks on Art UK's website.
LGBTQ+ perspectives
Read about and watch LGBTQ+ activists and advocates talk about art, folklore, fashion and life; delve into one of the most significant LGBTQ+ archives in the UK; and discover eight iconic LGBTQ+ activists you should know.
These resources may be useful for lesson planning for KS 4, senior phase and post-16 students as well as for students in higher education and lifelong learners.
LGBTQ+ advocates explore Tate’s Collection
Tate invited Sasha Velour, Munroe Bergdorf and Leo Kalyan to visit Tate Britain and interpret and make sense of collection artworks from the perspective of their own identities and experiences.
Watch LGBTQ icons at Tate Britain
Glasgow Women's Library: LGBTQ+ collections and the Glasgow LGBTQ+ Heritage Trail
Glasgow Women’s Library is home to one of the most significant LGBTQ+ historical collections in the UK with material spanning from the 1920s to the present day. One of their largest collections is the Lesbian Archive and Information Centre.
Discover Collection highlights and explore some of the people, places and spaces that have been a part of Glasgow’s LGBTQ+ heritage and history with the LGBTQ+ Heritage Trail.
GWL LGBTQ Collections Online Resource
Stride With Pride: LGBTQ Heritage Trail
Explore Glasgow Women's Library artworks on Art UK
LGBTQ+ activists you should know
Find out about eight inspiring people who changed the world (and are still changing it!) on the National Museums Liverpool website.
Queer as Folklore
Join historian Sacha Coward as he explores mythical creatures and the queer community through objects in the Museum of London.
From faeries to vampires: watch and be inspired!
Meet Charlie Craggs
Meet amazing transgender activist Charlie Craggs, who through her Nail Transphobia project aims to change attitudes towards transgender people. Watch a video about the activist on the V&A’s website and find out about her journey using social media for activism with a story from Liverpool Museums.
Charlie Craggs – trans activist
The ups and downs of social media activism
