LGBTQ+ community

Portsmouth City Council is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and fostering an environment where every person feels confident and safe to express themselves fully and without prejudice.

LGBTQ+ stands for ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bi’, ‘transgender’ and ‘queer’ or ‘questioning’. The ‘+’ is the symbol used to shorten the acronym but be inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities as terms are always evolving, and allies who believe and fight for the inclusion and safety of LGBTQ people.

To learn more about what the letters mean, take a look at Stonewall’s glossary.

LGBT History Month takes place annually in February, and is a month-long celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. It aims to raise awareness of, and combat prejudice against, the LGBTQ+ community while celebrating its achievement and diversity and increasing the visibility of the community.

You can read more about LGBT History on the following sites:

• Young Stonewall – 10 events from LGBT history
• The British Library – A short history of LGBT rights in the UK
• English Heritage – Stories of England’s LGBTQ past
• King’s College London – Video – History of LGBT rights in the UK: A long road to equality

And you might find the following resources useful:

• LGBT+ History Month – General Resources
• The Proud Trust – LGBT+ History Month resources
• Stonewall have created an updated list of LGBTQ+ inclusive books for children and young people
• TED – Love is love – seven personal stories of love and commitment in the LGBTQ community

Pride is a global movement fighting for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people all over the world.

June marks Pride month when LGBTQ+ people and their allies come together worldwide to celebrate diversity, unity and solidarity. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the very first Pride March in the UK on 1 July 1972. An estimated 1,000 people in London marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park. In Portsmouth, 2015 was the start of a consistent Pride event.

This year’s Pride march in Portsmouth took place on Saturday 11 June 2022 on Southsea Common.

When participating in events such as the Pride march, remember:

• It’s great to meet new people but ask yourself: Is it safe? Is it appropriate?
• Photos can be great for capturing the memories with friends and sharing on social media, but it’s not everyone. Did you give consent to be in someone else’s photo? And did the other person give you consent to be in yours?
• Make a plan for a meeting point if you get separated from your friends or family.
• Stay hydrated in the sun – heatstroke is no fun.

If you have any further questions around keeping yourself safe at Pride or about the PCC LGBTQ+ Children and Families Support offer, please email lgbtyoungpeople@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Learn more about Portsmouth Pride

Portsmouth City Council is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. As a service provider, we want people to be confident to be themselves. More and more people are saying which pronouns they’d like others to use when referring to them.

Pronouns are words such as:

• She/her/hers – for someone who might identify as female
• He/him/His – for someone who might identify as male
• They/them/their – for someone who might not identify as male or female, these pronouns are ‘gender neutral’. They are also used when referring to multiple people.

Respecting people’s choices about pronouns is all about being kind. Not everyone identifies as male or female, or their appearance or name might not conform to ‘traditional’ ideas of male or female. Using these pronouns helps prevent people making assumptions about someone’s gender and them feeling excluded; it shows you acknowledge their gender identity.

Here are some tips on ways you can try to make people feel more included:

• Try to introduce yourself with your pronouns, e.g. “I’m [your name], my pronouns are ‘she/her’, ‘him/he’ or ‘they/them’.”
• You can ask “What pronouns do you use?”
• Try using “they”, “them” or “their” pronouns if they haven’t been specified.
• Consider using gender-neutral language – for example, terms like “guys” can be replaced with “all” or “colleagues”. “Chairman” can be replaced with “chairperson” or “chair” and “police officer” is more inclusive than “policeman”.
• It can help to use “they”, “them” or “their” if you’re not sure of someone’s preferred pronouns.

An inclusive community is made up of lots of small acts of respect between individuals on a day-to-day basis.

You can learn more here about International Pronouns Day.