Section 28 and its afterlives in the South West

Section 28 and its afterlives in the South West is a project co-led by Dr Helen Birkett, Dr Chris Sandal-Wilson, and Dr Hannah Young, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Below we explore how their collaboration with the Intercom Trust raises awareness of the lasting issues for the LGBTQ+ community caused by Section 28 – a piece of legislation which prohibited local authorities and schools from “promoting” homosexuality between 1988 and 2003.

Section 28 was a piece of homophobic legislation in force in England and Wales between 1988 and 2003. It denied a whole generation of LGBTQ+ people information, representation, and support, including here in the South West. In partnership with the Intercom Trust – the leading LGBTQ+ charity in the South West – the project Section 28 and its afterlives helps local LGBTQ+ people to engage with this legislation and its long-lasting legacies, through intergenerational oral histories, a public exhibition, and creative workshops.

Section 28 tried to silence LGBTQ+ voices. At a time where there are concerningly similar attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, the project aims to put those voices back on the historical record and make sure they are heard by as many people as possible.

These oral histories break new ground by giving voice to those most affected by Section 28, and shift the focus of LGBTQ+ history away from the metropole by centring the South West. They help create connections across generations, too. Young LGBTQ+ volunteers conduct the interviews, allowing them to learn more about the community’s history from those who lived it. The experience of doing these intergenerational LGBTQ+ oral history has had a deep impact on participants: the young LGBTQ+ interviewers reflected on how the experience helped them feel more positive about their own identities, while interviewees valued the chance to make sense, often for the first time, of their own experiences and to have these acknowledged. One interviewee observed: “taking part in intergenerational oral history made me feel like I’m not forgotten”.

The team have also developed collage workshops, facilitated by Chloe Asker, in which participants are empowered to respond creatively to this history; the resulting artworks are defiant, proud, angry, and inspiring. With support from Intercom, Section 28 and its afterlives is working to introduce this novel and hands-on way of engaging with LGBTQ+ history into schools.

The local focus of this project is crucial, which is why the collaboration with the Intercom Trust has been vital. There can be a perception that only places like London have an LGBTQ+ history. As a result it can leave LGBTQ+ people here in the South West feeling isolated or disconnected. The oral histories undertaken for Section 28 and its afterlives make clear that the South West has its own rich LGBTQ+ history – one that’s worth remembering.

Co-written with Dr Helen Birkett, Dr Chris Sandal-Wilson, and Dr Hannah Young. The project team are continuing to conduct oral histories with LGBTQ+ people in the South West across 2024 with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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