Patrick Brennan on Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month
Interviews
Patrick Brennan, International Distribution Coordinator at AstraZeneca, spoke to myGwork about how he is commemorating LGBTQ+ History Month this year. He also discusses the lack of LGBTQ+ education he received at school and the direct impact it had on him.
Image Credit: Canva
Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role at your organization.
I’m Patrick Brennan and I work in as an International Distribution Coordinator at AstraZeneca. I am also a part of the AZ Pride leadership team, where my role looks to grow our relationships with external partners and get the most that we can from the wider LGBTQ+ networks and allies.
Can you tell us a little bit about LGBTQ+ History Month?
LGBTQ+ history month is a celebration of a lot of history that is often overlooked. It focuses on where the community has been and gives some interesting stories about how everyday people have overcome adversity. Some are funny, others are tragic, many are unbelievable, but there are so many stories to explore and it's only right that we acknowledge them and spend 28 days talking about them!
Why is LGBTQ+ History Month important to you?
I think because it's not always talked about. There are so many stories that deserve to be told and it's important that LGBTQ+ people can see that representation. I feel like people tend to think that trans rights, pronouns, gender fluidity and a lot of other issues are new, whereas they have been going on for thousands of years – it's important that people feel validated in how they identify and looking back at the past can help us do that.
Do you think LGBTQ+ people are represented in history books enough?
No. It’s human history and I think due to past attitudes these things have been brushed under the carpet from when they were seen as being less socially acceptable. I think that is changing now slowly.
Were you taught about LGBTQ+ history in school?
Not at all, in fact nothing about LGBTQ+ anything. I think if we had learned about it then it would have helped stop some of the homophobia. I have friends who are teachers now and they have said that because the LGBTQ+ community is more visible and accepted they believe children are a lot more accepting – “that’s so gay” isn’t used as much of an insult anymore, which is fantastic and completely different to my experience.
If you could add anything from the history of the LGBTQ+ human rights movement to the school curriculum, what would you add?
I think the story of Peter Wildeblood and his fight for homosexuality to be decriminalized. It’s a story about the hardships faced by the gay community in the UK and the small but important steps to make it legal and eventually accepted. There was a fantastic documentary called Against the Law which covered the story and some real-life anecdotes from people at the time, it's upsetting but I think it is so important to hear these stories.
What advice would you give someone wanting to learn more about LGBTQ+ history?
There are so many resources and great charities talking about this now, it doesn’t have to be a chore at all to learn about LGBTQ+ history. There’s some great programming on TV, something for everyone really. Be curious and speak to your friends and colleagues about what they would recommend. I think most LGBTQ+ people will have something they would love to tell you about.
Do you think it’s important for workplaces to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month? Why?
I think it’s so nice to have organizations who share these things with people who wouldn’t necessarily come across them in everyday life. LGBTQ+ history is not just for LGBTQ+ people - others can get great insight and take learnings from it too, and it helps people within a workplace understand and appreciate each other better.
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