Here we are in Pride month! What a joy to celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities around the world. It is a time of light and colour, of equality and faith in the human spirit.
Stonewall Rebellion
The first Pride event was celebrated in 1970 to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. This was a 6 day protest that occurred in New York that ultimately led to a change in gay rights. The protests began after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich city. This led to riots and violent clashes with law enforcement. This of course was not the first uprising, however it is probably the most well-known.
LGBTQI+ Rights
How far LGBTQI+ rights have come. For under 21s homosexual acts between men remained an imprisonable offence right up to 1980 in Scotland, only 43 years ago. It seems unbelievable and ridiculous that people that we know and love lived with the threat of imprisonment over their sexual orientation. Not only that, but homosexuality was considered a mental disorder and was only declassified as such in 1992, 29 years ago. Thankfully, due to people’s persistence and bravery, time has moved on and we now live in a society where LGBTQI+ rights are openly celebrated and protected by law.
Shetland Pride
Our own community’s Shetland Pride is Saturday 1st July 2023. NHS Shetland will be represented on the day by various staff, and the Health Improvement team will be at the Pride Market with information on mental health and sexual health for LGBTQI+ communities. You can find out more about the event at www.shetlandpride.co.uk.
Health Resources
We’ve added a few resources to our website specifically for the LGBTQI+ community. Let us know what you think. Are they useful to you? What else would you like to see?
Get in touch!
We’d love to hear more about your experiences of being LGBTQI+, what’s great and what has been challenging for you. Drop us a line with your thoughts via our social media channels or by email shet.healthyshetland@nhs.scot
There is so much to celebrate. Be proud, be seen.
Lynsey Rendall
Health Improvement Advisor
