LGBTQ+ History Month 2024: panel recap

In a powerful and enlightening event hosted by myGwork this month, a panel of LGBTQ+ professionals and allies came together to shed light on the importance of understanding and celebrating LGBTQ+ history. The panel, consisting of Jamie Brown from Financial Times, Nik Dutt from The Trade Desk, Angelique Piwinski from Worklife Training Institute, Jonathan Watts from JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Aderonke Apata from African Rainbow Family, provided valuable perspectives and personal anecdotes related to LGBTQ+ History Month.

Supported by ABB and The Trade Desk, the panel provided an insightful platform for dialogue and reflection. The panelists' diverse perspectives and empowering messages served as a reminder of the resilience, history, and significance of the LGBTQ+ community. Harriet Lunney, the host, set the tone for the discussion by emphasizing the significance of listening to the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people, particularly in a time marked by rising hate crimes and discrimination. She asked the panelists why they believe it is important to commemorate LGBTQ+ history, and what inspires them.

Angelique Piwinski, a historian and advocate who was present during the Stonewall Rebellion, delivered a poignant message about the essence of studying LGBTQ+ history. She highlighted the importance of learning from past mistakes to better understand current challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. Piwinski eloquently expressed how LGBTQ+ history is intertwined with humanity.

“Humanity is flawed,” she said. “We make the same mistakes, over and over again. It may skip a generation or two, but we're going to make the same mistakes. So, if we don't study history, we will not understand what's happening. The history of LGBTQ+ people goes back to the beginning of humankind.”

Aderonke Apata shared a personal reflection and much-overlooked perspective on the intersectionality of race and LGBTQ+ identity. By debunking the myth that homosexuality is ‘un-African’, she shed light on the historical roots of LGBTQ+ presence within African communities, emphasizing the impact of colonial legacies on LGBTQ+ criminalization.

“My inspiration actually comes from the fact that there are many people of color who have been fed with something that is untrue. The notion that homosexuality is ‘un-African’ - which is not true. Homophobia is un-African,” Aderonke elaborates. “When we got colonized by the British Empire, they came and then they brought in this law that criminalizes LGBTQ+ people. So, that tells me that they must have found LGBTQ+ people in our lands before, in order to come up with that. That means that it has always been part of us. That's who we've always been from the beginning. The fact that we've been criminalized is just not right and the best thing that we can do is celebrate within ourselves.”

Jamie Brown drew attention to the unique struggles faced by LGBTQ+ people in terms of familial support and inheritance rights – a topic brought to his attention through a theatre production. Referencing his experience of watching a play called ‘The Inheritance’, Jamie highlighted the profound losses experienced during the AIDS crisis and the lack of traditional support systems for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“I went to see a play a couple of years ago called The Inheritance. It was all about the loss of inheritance that we have experienced - specifically regarding the AIDS crisis,” he explained. “A loss of so many people and so many experiences. It really struck me. It made me think about how we as LGBTQ+ people don't necessarily have the traditional structures that straight people benefit from. They've got traditional relationships with their grandparents who are usually straight and that that learning is probably really invaluable to their lives, but we as LGBTQ+ people don't get that, and I think there needs to be some work about how we can bridge that gap.”

Nik Dutt underscored the importance of representation in media for LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance. By advocating for authentic storytelling and humanizing portrayals, Dutt emphasized the role of empathy in shaping inclusive societal narratives.

“Feeling represented in the media that we consume, or the ads that we see, it all builds to the community that we have around us,” he said. “Giving us an opportunity to tell our own story is really important. It's about bringing more of an authentic way and human element into the way we perceive others. And approaching everyday life with more empathy.”