About LGBT History Month
February is LGBT History Month, an annual event which recognises the history of gay rights and related civil rights movements. The theme this year is ‘Body, Mind, Spirit’.

While the event originated in the US in 1994, it began in the UK 11 years later following on from an initiative created by teachers.

In 2005, educators and activists Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick organised LGBT History Month as part of a School’s Out project, a programme which aims to educate young people about the issues that members of the LGBT community face and make schools feel inclusive for everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

LBGT History Month was held in February to coincide with the 2003 abolition of Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act.

About the event
Steph Keeble, Director of Birmingham LGBT, and Bas Zwiers, business leader of Amsterdam neighbourhood initiative ‘Alle Kleuren Oost’ will have a conversation about the meanings, the importance, and the future of LGBT spaces, venues and “gaybourhoods” in face of urban redevelopment, changing communication habits, and the recent challenges brought by the pandemic.

About the speakers
Steph Keeble is Director of Birmingham LGBT. Birmingham LGBT’s mission is to build a vibrant, diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Birmingham in which individuals can realise their full potential and have equal access to all the city has to offer.

In the four years she has been involved with the organisation it has grown from a small charity with a £10,000 a year turnover to an organisation with a turnover of over £250,000 a year. Birmingham LGBT delivers a variety of services and events including SHOUT: Birmingham’s festival of Queer Culture, and has recently opened the first LGBT Health & Wellbeing centre in England and Wales in Birmingham city centre. Steph was included in the Independent on Sunday’s influential Pink list in 2013 for her contributions to the LGBT community in Birmingham. Steph has skills in not-for-profits, change management, strategic planning and income generation.

Steph a social science graduate has worked in the third sector for twenty years, beginning her career as in the field of substance misuse and going on to work in a variety of areas including mental health, capacity building, social enterprises, and women’s issues.Steph is passionately committed to human rights and social justice and has always worked to create a better and more equal society for all. She has never moved very far from her background in, and commitment to, grassroots community activism.

Bas Zwiers is the business leader of All Colors. All Colors originated as a residents’ initiative from the Indische Buurt, whether or not associated with communities. At the beginning of 2013, they decided to make the commemoration of the dead on Ceramplein more of a reflection of the neighborhood. This to connect the various communities in the Indische Buurt more closely. It became a much better reflection of the neighborhood. During the evaluation, it was decided to continue together under the name All Colors East.

From 2013 they became co-organizers of May 4 and since 2017 also the May 5 breakfast on the Javaplein. Together with Muslims from the neighborhood, they organized an Iftar with Pink Edge. They co-organized a Tula meeting, were involved in the rainbow bank at IJburg, the TransPride, the Keti Koti commemoration, and many neighborhood meetings. They have organized a number of terraces with the theme: human rights, racism, diversity in companies, 4 May. In 2018 they organized thier first Pre Pride and their biggest event is the Annual Pride East.

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* This event will be facilitated by The University of Birmingham.

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