LGBT+ History Month in celebrated every February in the UK. Over the course of the month, people and organisations amplify LGBT+ voices, share queer history, honour lived experiences, and celebrate different identities. The month also serves to educate people about the issues faced by the LGBT+ community, combat prejudice, and promote reflection.
LGBT+ History Month
SchoolsOut is a UK-based LGBT+ charity that promotes equality and diversity, particularly in schools. Each year, they designate a theme for LGBT+ History Month. The 2026 theme is Science and Innovation.
This year, the theme recognises and honours the many brilliant queer minds who have made landmark scientific advancements and highlights the importance of diversity in innovation. Furthermore, the theme aims to queer youth to pursue careers in STEM and gives them role models to look up to. It also helps us acknowledge and amend ways in which science has historically been misapplied, such as through the medicalisation and pathologisation of queer identities. Additionally, it offers an opportunity to explore recent medical developments that drastically improve the lives of LGBTQI people, such as the landmark NHS Review on Health Inequalities and the major developments made in HIV prevention and care.
Micro Rainbow’s innovative housing programme
Innovation does not refer only to what is technical or scientific. The beauty of innovation is that it is limitless. Anyone can be an innovator, and anything that solves a problem is an innovation. Micro Rainbow’s housing programme is a salient example: it was created after beneficiaries repeatedly raised accommodation as a pressing concern. Often, people seeking asylum find themselves in inadequate and unsafe housing. Some face harassment or exploitation. Many face instability and uncertainty. Micro Rainbow decided to combat this through a small-scale, community-based response. Micro Rainbow secured its first safe house in 2017, making it the UK’s very first safe housing scheme for LGBTQI asylum seekers. Soon after, Micro Rainbow secured a second property near the first. Since then, the housing programme has grown exponentially, acquiring many more houses across the West Midlands, the North West of England, Wales and in London. Today, Micro Rainbow has the capacity to offer over 40,000 safe bed nights per year.Creating a safe space
Tremendous efforts go into each safe house. From finding it, to refurbishing it, to moving residents in and maintaining it, the process is truly a labour of love. Each property chosen is guaranteed to be a dignified, family-size home rather than a hotel or hostel. These houses are then furnished with the basic but necessary amenities, including bedding, towels, cleaning products, and a fully equipped kitchen with appliances. This couldn’t be possible without the diligence of our housing managers, who advocate and problem-solve daily. Through their work, houses become sanctuaries where LGBTQI people seeking asylum are given the stability they need to rebuild their lives and the safety to be who they are. Henry, a gay man from China, said:“…because of the support from the Micro Rainbow team or house manager, I do not have that scary feeling. When living [in] the refugee hotel, staff shouted at me … calling me nasty names, with lots of misunderstanding and discrimination from other people. I feel appreciat[ive] that Micro Rainbow provides LGBT people such big help, letting us live in [a] safe, comfortable house, and providing LGBT people lots of support! Thank you so much to the Micro Rainbow team!”Micro Rainbow’s safe housing initiative has been recognised numerous times, receiving prestigious accolades including the 2017 Thomson Reuters Foundation Innovation Award, the 2018 Best CSR Programme of the Year by the Legal Business Awards, and the William Sutton Prize for Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
