The month of February is celebrated as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) History Month across the UK.
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalization of male homosexuality in England and Wales. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is displaying the rainbow flag to celebrate the rights of LGBT people.
The rainbow flag is a sign of hope. social change, and peace and is a symbol of inclusion and welcome. Displaying the flag demonstrates our commitment to equality and human rights and to ensure that LGBT people understand that they are welcome and valued and can enjoy the same rights as other people.
Rainbow flags have been used across the world over the centuries: German Peasants’ War in the 16th century, to symbolize the Cooperative movement; as a symbol of peace inItaly; to represent the Tawantin Suyu, or Inca territory, mainly in Peru and Bolivia; by some Druze communities in the Middle east; by the Jewish Autonomous Oblast; to represent the International Order of Rainbow for Girls since the early 1920s; and as a symbol of gay pride and LGBT social movements since the 1970s.
Throughout February LSTM will be displaying the rainbow flag and hosting a range of awareness raising sessions for staff and students.