Thursday, February 23, 2006

GLBT History Tour Now Offered in Scotland

(Link) You might expect this in San Francisco, but it's the new hotness in Edinburgh. One more thing to add to your list of "must-do" while in Europe.

1 comment:

LNewsEditor said...

JIC Post:
From the BBC

A series of walks highlighting Edinburgh's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history has been launched.

A new leaflet charts the routes of seven walks spanning 500 years through different parts of the capital.

They include the grimmer stories of persecution, as well as modern stories of liberation, such as the landmark of Scotland's first Gay Pride march.

The leaflets, written by Ellen Galford, will be available free from various outlets across the city.

Ms Galford, co-ordinator of the gay history awareness project, Remember When, said: "There has been an explosion of interest in LGBT history, not just in Edinburgh but nationwide.


We hope that these history walks will literally put the lives and experiences of the capital's LGBT citizens, past and present, on the map
Ellen Galford
Leaflet author

"Edinburgh itself - once a byword for a particularly narrow and hard-hearted puritanism - has undergone an incredible transformation into a vibrant, cosmopolitan, civilised city that LGBT people actively want to live in or to visit.

"We hope that these history walks will literally put the lives and experiences of the capital's LGBT citizens, past and present, on the map."

The Lord Provost, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said the leaflets provided an "excellent opportunity" to raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, and pay tribute to the "often-hidden heritage" of lesbian and gay people.

She said: "It represents a significant milestone for local lesbian and gay communities to have their contribution to Edinburgh society over many years recognised and celebrated."

The cartoons are by Kate Charlesworth, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Times and LGBT publications nationwide.

The publication pack will be followed by an exhibition, Rainbow City: Stories from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Edinburgh, which is to open in the City Art Centre in May.