The Symposium
Photo: David Martin
Legacy of ’67 – The Symposium was a day-long gathering of presentations, discussion and debate inspired by speakers from the arts, law, academia, research and more who explored the changes in attitude towards LGBTQ+ people since the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, and how these changes have impacted our communities. Engaging, stimulating, conversational, discursive, thought- provoking, funny, participatory; it was open to everyone.
36 people attended the Symposium on Tuesday 6th June 2023. 30 of these were members of the public and there were six people who attended because of their working relationship with IAP:MCR.
They heard contributions from David Govier, who talked about the importance of oral history and archiving, Bruce Anderson, who spoke about the early days of CHE, Joshua Val Martin, who spoke of the process and responsibilities of writing for the stage work based on testimony, Sarah-Joy Ford who spoke of her work with archives and textiles and Josh Dawson and Jez Dolan, who examined the changes in the law that affected LGBTQ+ people from 1535 to the present day.
Talks and discussions were interspaced by contributions from Paul Paschal, who read from his recently-published poetry.
The Symposium concluded with a discussion panel. The panel were Joshua Val Martin, Sarah-Joy Ford and Jez Dolan and was led by Professor Jackie Stacey from the University of Manchester.
The Symposium was the final public event of Legacy of '67.
Photo: David Martin