DIVA is proud to be an official supporter of Trans+ History Week – a launchpad project which takes place between 6-12 May next year
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY QUEERAF
Collaborating with Trans+ creative Marty Davies, QueerAF has announced that they will be launching a Trans+ History Week between 6-12 May 2024. The aim of this new week is to learn about and celebrate the momentous history and lives of trans, non-binary, gender-diverse and intersex people.
This new initiative is backed by a number of the UK’s biggest LGBTQIA organisations and charities such as Stonewall, Not A Phase, LGBT Foundation, DIVA, Queer Britain and Just Like Us. The starting date of 6 May is especially important as it coincides with the 91st anniversary of the Nazi raid on the world’s first trans clinic.
“The entirety of my schooling took place under Section 28,” Marty Davies (she/they), founder of Trans+ History Week, said. “Earlier this year, I found out I’d been robbed of important history about myself and my community. Learning that one of the most famous Nazi book burnings was at a trans clinic was a huge surprise to me. But it made me wonder why – it’s an image we all saw in school, why didn’t we get the full context?”
“Like myself, most people didn’t get the chance to learn about the Hirschfeld Institute – the world’s first trans clinic. Learning about it set me on a path of wanting to learn more and go deeper. If we rob people of their history, we deny them their humanity. I want to create space for us to stand joyfully in our present with our hands wrapped around our past. Using this knowledge to steel us as we carve out a better future.”
Trans+ History Week will create spaces for people to learn more about moments in trans+ history which have been erased or left out of classrooms and mainstream education.
“We cannot progress without knowing how our ancestors lived and struggled to survive — often on their own,” Christine Burns MBE (she/her), Trans Britain author, explained.
Jamie Wareham (he/him), founder of QueerAF, also commented on the new launch: “It sometimes feels a bit trite to say, but stories really do move people. They do change the world. – it’s a great shame there aren’t more Trans+ history stories more readily available. It’s time to fix that.”
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