Hastings Student Notices
We hope you enjoyed last week’s activities, including the adorable fluffy animals and the Chinese Associations Dragon Dance in celebration of Chinese New Year! At Station Plaza, we believe it’s crucial to embrace different cultures and celebrate our diversity. With so much hate in the world, it’s time we recognise and appreciate that we are all different. We should learn to love and celebrate those differences every day, not just today.
As we move into LGBT+ History Month, let’s continue to support and respect one another, embracing the unique qualities that make us who we are. Throughout this month, I will be sharing more about LGBT+ history, as there are vital pieces of history that have been overlooked and much work still to be done.
Written by Paige-Marie Baker-Carroll, Student Experience Coordinator at Station Plaza.
LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH 2025
Activism and Social Change
Throughout history LGBT+ people have been activists and helped shape and create social change, advancing society for everyone using many different approaches to activism:
Protests and rallies
Campaigns – letter writing and social media
Boycotts and direct action
Collaboration and education
Art and music
Literature and poetry
Theatre, film, comedy and dance
Crafts from banners to zines
Living openly
Each year we choose five LGBT+ historical figures in line with the theme to highlight. This year we have chosen five LGBT+ people who have created social change from across the centuries in progressing change for women, the environment, housing, nuclear disarmament, preserving heritage, abolition of the slave trade, and immigration, among many other causes.
Octavia Hill
Ivor Cummings
Annie Kenney
Charlie Kiss
Olaudah Equiano
What is the L in LGBT+
The "L" in LGBT stands for "lesbian" and is placed first in the acronym primarily because of the significant role lesbian women played in supporting the gay community during the AIDS crisis, particularly by caring for sick gay men when others were hesitant to do so.
