The cultural heritage of LGBT people has gone largely unrecorded. Until recently, legal discrimination affected the willingness of LGBT people to be open about their histories. Within many people's lifetimes, being open as a gay man would have led to imprisonment.
The rich experiences of a diverse group of people with memories going back as far as the 1930s will be preserved by our project. It documents the political and social activities which led to the development of the current LGBT community. By ensuring that a diverse range of individuals, groups and organisations contribute to the project, we are recording, documenting and describing the process of transition from a time when homosexual acts were illegal, and people had to meet furtively behind unmarked doors in places known to the few, to the current situation where over 20 discriminatory laws have been swept aside and where strong social and support systems have arisen.
From a time when LGBT people lived in fear of hostility and reprisals from the police and in the workplace to a situation where civil partnerships are recognised and laws provide protection rather than discrimination. Where once, statutory and commercial agencies didn't acknowledge the existence of LGBT service users or recognise that they might have particular needs, now organisations in all sectors of society are beginning to recognise and act on the fact that LGBT people form a significant diversity strand.
For many, barriers to being open about one's sexuality still remain; laws may change, but attitudes take longer to adjust. The project traces this journey - successes and setbacks - exploring the influence of local individuals and organisations at both a local and national level. We are examining the impact of changing laws, policies, culture and opportunities on the lives of LGBT people past and present. Materials are being preserved and presented to ensure this heritage is accessible by all of Nottinghamshire's diverse citizenship.