The Stand Out project has been inspired by and is in memory of the meeting held by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality on the 30th July 1971 at Burnley library, as it was a milestone in the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights. The Young Producers explored the impacts that the meeting and other significant events had on the progression of the LGBTQ+ community and their rights; and in the project they have worked to research both public affairs (for example protests and meetings), as well as personal ones – which can be reflected in their work through our sharing of oral histories taken from people who lived through and witnessed first hand the trials and tribulations that the LGBTQ+ community faced on the path to equality.
Ultimately, the hope is that we are able to educate people on such endeavours and happenings so that moving forward we do not forget the past; allowing us to both honour it and learn from it, that way we can prevent history from repeating itself.
Following the success and positive feedback of our exhibition that debuted on July 30th 2022; The Stand Out Project is back! The same Young Producers have returned to partner up with Blaze and Lancashire County Council Library Service once more as we strive to create a second volume of our beloved Stand Out! Zine, filled to the brim with new information and important heritage stories all about the queer history of the local area.
Not only that but we are also eager to expand our horizons as we plan to utilize our funding and combine it with our passion for this project in order to create a pop up exhibition in the nearby town centre – our goal being that this will help our exhibition be seen by more people. That way we can continue to do the work we love as we dive deeper into the rich history that goes unnoticed by a large amount of people.
The Stand Out exhibition will be on display at Burnley Library until the end of October, it will then tour around other libraries within the Lancashire area as follows:
Coal Clough Library, 3 November – 29 November 2022
Nelson Library, 1 December – 21 December 2022
Padiham Library, 29 December 2022 – 30 January 2023
Colne Library, 01 February – 28 February 2023.
Please check each library’s opening times before visiting.
If anything here has caught your eye as something you’d like to learn more about, or even get involved in (as we’re always ready to welcome new young producers with open arms) then contact admin@blazearts.co.uk and one of our staff members will be in touch soon to answer all of your questions. We encourage you to feel free to ask any questions whether it be about our project or the magnificent work we do, all we ask is that you are respectful, both in email and in person, as we won’t tolerate any negativity or offensive comments.
There are no requirements regarding experience or knowledge when it comes to being a Young Producer, as long as you are between the ages of 13-25 then all you need is a positive, hardworking can-do attitude! We hope to see and hear from you soon!
Oral Histories
Lancashire LGBT (service for adults) 07788 295521 lancslgbt.org.uk
Proud Trust (service for young people) 0161 660 3347 theproudtrust.org
Zines
During the project the Young Producers visited the The Proud Place in Manchester where they saw a collection of LGBT+ zines. Zines are self published magazines. The collection inspired the group to create their own zines to document and share the heritage they are exploring. You can read the zines online below
STAND OUT ZINE Issue 1Stand Out Zine2 (double pages)
