#LONGROADLIFE Long Road Sixth Form College Applicant Newsletter
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LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH Hello, from Long Road!
February celebrates LGBT+ History Month, and at Long Road, we never shy away from wearing our rainbows with pride. This week we are bringing you a
Long Road Sixth Form College
special LGBT+ History Month newsletter to share with you all the amazing activities we have been involved in over the last month. Although we may not have been able to celebrate in person, lockdown hasn't stopped us from
@LR6FC
celebrating together!
@lr6fc
Remember to keep up-to-date with everything Long Road over on our social media channels
enquiries@longroad.ac.uk Keep smiling!
01223 631100
www.longroad.ac.uk
Long Road x
LGBT+ History Month 2021 Mind, Body and Spirit
PRIDE: THE HISTORY OF FREEDOM Written by student Marianna Kouznetsov “And we felt that we had freedom at last, or freedom to at least show that we demanded freedom. We weren't going to be walking meekly in the night and letting them shove us around – it's like standing your ground for the first time and in a really strong way, and that’s what caught the police by surprise. There was something in the air, freedom a long time overdue, and we were going to fight for it. It took different forms, but the bottom line was, we weren’t going to go away. And we didn’t.”
June 28, 1969. In the early hours of the
shouting took place on the street and
the streets, forming kick-lines in front of
morning, a riot broke out at the
exploded as activist Storme deLarverie,
the police, singing bawdy songs, and
Stonewall Inn in Greenwich
then a drag king and singer, fought
splashing the street in pro-LGBT
Village, in Manhattan, New York. Police
back against the four police officers
graffiti. Most of all, though, the
had staged a raid on the bar, knowing
trying to arrest her, managing to
protest sparked controversy,
that the bar was friendly to gay and
escape four times before being shoved
conversation, and cleared the way for
trans people (in a time when
into the back of a police van. As cries
future generations of LGBT activists
homosexuality was still a criminal
went up, she turned to the crowd and
and theorists to continue fighting for
offence, and anti-gay sentiment was
shouted: “Why don’t you guys do
recognition. Furthermore, the
rampant in the conservative, Christian
something?” The crowd, in that instant,
demonstration showed that the
society of the West). Despite initial first
fuelled by realisation and overdue
community were going to fight tooth
protests and escapes, they had begun
rage, became a mob. Trans activists
and nail, that they would willingly fight
to successfully make arrests as more
and self-declared “street queens''
and be arrested and die for one
people came outside to look upon the
Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera
another, and light candles at the
commotion. Tensions rose as patrons
were at the forefront of them all, and
graves of those who did; after
refused to give their ID, singing and
led a humiliating, two-night rebellion in
all, who else was going to?
PRIDE: THE HISTORY OF FREEDOM Written by student Marianna Kouznetsov Fighting spirit is the only way our
protests, everywhere around the world,
for celebration and equality, those who
community has survived. During WW1
ringing off buildings like war cries. But
were brave enough to love against the
and WW2, many gays and lesbians
quieter, too, in the silent pages of
law, against heaven and “against
went to war to escape their abusive or
books, on the ceilings of chapels, in
God.” We owe all the gay men and
neglectful home lives. In 1966 in a quiet
dust-covered diaries hidden in old
women who fought before us an
neighborhood cafe in San Francisco, a
chests, stories passed from mouth to
incalculable debt for living in the world
group of transgender customers
mouth and ear to ear, the fight for love
they did and still making art, taking
attacked police as retaliation for the
has always been there.
photographs and records, meeting in
years of harassment and
secret, talking in codes, writing poetry
discrimination. Seven years before
And for those who cannot fight; those
and novels, and smiling at the pages of
that in the same city, a raid on a donut
still closeted, still afraid, people around
the Iliad. How poignantly incredible
shop in between two gay bars turned
the world living in oppression: that is
and mind-blowing is it for us to know
into a fierce assault on the invading
who the fighting is for. Fighting in war,
that we have always and will always
police as they made arrests on drag
in the street, and fighting between
exist?
queens and sex workers. Even in the
ourselves for the recognition of queer
1960s Harlem underground ballroom
people of color and working class and
Gay history isn’t just history – it’s
scene, a typical voguing contest
transgender individuals: a centuries-old
legacy.
between two houses was alike as two
history of rebellion that is still added to
armies at war, two queens fighting for
today. But we owe it all to them, those
their title as two boxers colliding in a
who came before us, those who have
ring. The shouts at Pride marches and
ought before us and stood for love,
THE KITE TRUST
CONTACT THE KITE TRUST
Supporting young LGBTQ+ people in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough The Kite Trust was founded in 1993 by a
In 2020 they adopted a new strategic
small group of dedicated and
plan and expanded their work to cover
committed local people from all walks
all of Cambridgeshire, Peterborough
of life. They have since grown to
and surrounding areas.
01223 369508
info@thekitetrust.org.uk
become a leading organisation working with LGBTQ+ young people.
The Kite Trust offer a wide range of
www.thekitetrust.org.uk
resources for young LGBTQ+ people; They frequently work with local primary
from free one-to-one support sessions
and secondary schools, as well as Sixth
to social groups. They also host an
Form Colleges, across Cambridgeshire,
annual summer 'Camp Camp' for
delivering training to staff and students
LGBTQ+ people under the age of 25;
on LGBTQ+ issues.
giving you the opportunity to learn new
The Kite Trust
@TheKiteTrust skills and make friendships within the The Kite Trust support groups can be
LGBTQ+ community.
found in Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, Wisbech and Peterbourgh; supporting
We would like to personally thank The
the wellbeing and creativity of LGBTQ+
Kite Trust team for all the amazing
young people and working extensively
support and resources they have
with trans and gender questioning
provided our Long Road staff and
young people and their families.
students!
@thekitetrust
The Kite Trust
Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) AKT supports lgbtq+ young
QUEER THEORY & AKT
Learning Support Assistant Mat gives a round up of our exciting events!
people aged 16-25 in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment.
www.akt.org.uk
To celebrate and recognise LGBTIQ+
Alongside this we organised
History Month at Long Road Sixth Form
events by guest speakers. This year’s
College we organised a series of
guest speaker was from the Albert
events for students and staff
Kennedy Trust (AKT), a charity that
that explored Britain’s rich – but still
works with homeless LGBTIQ+ young
hidden! – Queer history.
people, and those at-risk of becoming
gethelp@akt.org.uk
homeless. I put together a small session for
aktcharityuk
students and staff that was an
Our guest speaker gave a talk on the
introduction to ‘Queer Theory’.
continued importance of history month, outlining the progress that has been
@aktcharity
aktcharity
akt
This session focused on the
made in the liberation of LBGTIQ+
development of Queer Theory as an
people, but the work that still needs to
academic discipline, exploring it’s
be done to achieve equality.
emergence from Gender Studies and Literary Criticism, before looking at the
Freya then spoke about the work that
influences of Black Feminism, Marxism,
AKT does to help combat and prevent
and Anarchism in the development of
homelessness, and the support they
LGBTIQ+ liberation movements in
provide for homeless Queer youth.
Britain.
Stonewall No Bystanders Pledge
"I will never be a bystander to hateful language and abuse. If I hear it, I will call it out and report it, and if I can, I will stop it. By adding my name, I promise to stand up for fairness, kindness and to never be a bystander”
RAINBOW DAY
Celebrating LGBT History Month in style! Rainbow day has become an annual
members of Pride Club also had out
event at Long Road Sixth Form
free rainbow badges and rainbow
College, with staff and students
stickers to really brighten up the day!
wearing rainbows in celebration of the first day of LGBT History Month.
All staff and students also have the opportunity to buy rainbow laces for
£1, with all money raised being
Throughout the day the Long Road
just
Pride Club run stands in our Learning
donated to The Kite Trust.
Resource Centre and Student Centre, inviting their fellow students and staff
Every year we are amazed by the
to sign the No Bystanders Pledge...
wonderful rainbow outfits worn by our staff and students, who share their
"I will never be a bystander to hateful
pride style with us on our Instagram by
language and abuse. If I hear it, I will
tagging us in their posts & stories!
call it out and report it, and if I can, I will stop it. By adding my name, I promise to stand up for fairness, kindness and to never be a bystander”
You can click here to sign the pledge yourself!
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY Equality & Diversity Poster Competition £30 for 2nd place and £20 for
Last year, all of our students were
place,
invited to enter a poster competition –
3rd place; alternatively, students could
the brief?
choose to take home some brand new
To design a poster that celebrates,
Art supplies allowing them to continue
inspires and/or educates our college
to explore and expand their creative
community about equality and
skills.
diversity. Now, drum roll please as we announce We are pleased to say that an
our winners! Congratulations to…
overwhelming number of students got
1st place winner, Biagio Santoro!
involved, putting their artistic talents to
2nd place winner, Jacob Robinson!
the test!
3rd place winner, Shannon Casling!
But the real test came when it was
We’re looking forward to getting back
time to decide our top 3 winners, with
to college so we can print and display
all over of 5 judges being blown away
these wonderful posters for all our
by the creativity and talent of all of the
community to see!
entries. For now, you can check them out on Up for grabs was a
£40 prize for 1st
the following pages!
Congratulations to Biagio Santoro, Jacob Robinson & Shannon Casling for winning our Equality & Diversity poster competition!
FEBRUARY 2021: LGBT HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL EDITION
#LONGROADLIFE L O N G
R O A D
01223 631100
enquiries@longroad.ac.uk
www.longroad.ac.uk
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Long Road Sixth Form College
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