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A leading academic will share her personal experiences of living under discriminatory legislation as a lesbian teacher in Suffolk and how those challenges led to her involvement in an acclaimed British film.
Why it matters: The talk offers firsthand insight into how Section 28 – legislation that banned the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities from 1988 to 2003 – affected LGBT+ teachers in UK schools and continues to influence cultural conversations today.
The details: Professor Catherine Lee MBE will speak at The Hold, home to the Suffolk Archives, on Thursday, 13 February, from 18:30 to 19:30.
Lee, now Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, will draw on her book, Pretended, to discuss teaching during a period when local authorities were prohibited from discussing LGBT+ issues in a positive light.
Background: Before her current role in higher education, Lee worked as a schoolteacher in both Liverpool and Suffolk during the Section 28 era, when thousands of LGBT+ teachers faced significant professional challenges.
What to expect: The professor will:
Share personal recollections of teaching in Suffolk schools under restrictive legislation
Discuss the wider impact on LGBT+ teachers during this period
Reveal how these experiences contributed to the 2022 BAFTA-nominated feature film Blue Jean
Describe how this "unexpected opportunity provided the silver lining to the adversity she experienced during Section 28"
The bottom line: The event is being hosted by Outreach Youth as part of LGBT+ History Month. It is free to attend and anyone is welcome. No booking is required.
LGBT+ History Month Talk with Professor Catherine Lee MBE
Professor Catherine Lee shares her personal experiences as a teacher during Section 28 and her journey to involvement with the BAFTA-nominated film Blue Jean.
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