Drawing on archival material, newspaper records and oral histories conducted with LGBTQ+ people living in the South West, this paper will explore the experiences and legacies of Section 28 from the perspective of those most affected by this homophobic legislation. Existing narratives around Section 28 have tended to focus on metropolitan experiences, and on the perspectives of politicians, newspapers, and key activists. By shifting the focus to the South West, and foregrounding the testimonies of a wider range of LGBTQ+ people, this paper will contribute to ongoing efforts to reimagine the geography of Britain’s LGBTQ+ history. It will deepen our understanding of how Section 28 shaped LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of education, whether as students, teachers or parents, suggesting that neither the introduction nor repeal of the legislation marked clear points of rupture. It will also situate Section 28 within a reconstruction of the distinctive texture of LGBTQ+ life in the South West from the 1980s-early 2000s. The paper will argue that LGBTQ+ people in the South West faced particular challenges in relation to access to community, information, and representation, and developed distinct strategies in response to these challenges. Finally, it will also reflect on the methodological possibilities and challenges of conducting intergenerational LGBTQ+ oral history interviews.
Helen Birkett, Chris Sandal-Wilson and Hannah Young are all based in the department of Archaeology and History at the University of Exeter. They are the co-leads of ‘Section 28 and its afterlives’, a public history project exploring the histories and legacies of Section 28 in the South West.
This event is part of the IHR’s People, Place and Community seminar series and is hosted by the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community.
All welcome- this seminar is free to attend, but advance registration is required.