Schools OUT has been working for more than 50 years to combat prejudice and \u2018usualise\u2019 LGBT+ people, aiming through education and advocacy to empower people to create environments where\u00a0all LGBT+\u00a0people feel safe, seen and supported.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The resources were launched at a special event at the Royal Society of Chemistry<\/a> on Friday 7 November where it was announced that the theme for 2026 would be \u2018Science and Innovation\u2019.<\/p>\n Exeter academics have been helping young people to recognise LGBT+ figures in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) through the Queer Science Competition, which ran in 2020, 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n The 2024 edition was funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry\u2019s Inclusion & Diversity Fund<\/a> and Chemists\u2019 Community Fund<\/a>, which support initiatives that engage directly with under-represented communities and support wellbeing, accessibility, and inclusive participation in the chemical sciences.<\/p>\n The Queer Science Competition, which was led by the PRISM Exeter LGBTQ+ network, challenged secondary school, college, and university students across the South West to discover and celebrate the science and achievements of lesser-known LGBT+ scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians and medics.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new materials are based on these competition entries and include profiles of the mathematician and chess champion Ron Buckmire, the pioneering physicist Nergis Mavalvala and the American evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Dr Claire Davies, a University of Exeter academic and founder of PRISM Exeter, said the resources will for the first time integrate LGBT+ identities into Key Stage 3 and 4 maths and physics lessons and praised the \u2018incredibly inspiring\u2019 competition entries.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe resources help bring to light some of the untold stories of LGBT+ scientists, engineers and mathematicians whose contributions have been overlooked,\u201d said Dr Davies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe were so delighted to be able to use the Queer Science competition entries in this way, as they revealed significant yet little-known contributions to science and technology, and important work to make science and maths more inclusive.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr Davies added that although Section 28 \u2013 the law which essentially resulted in forbidding\u00a0the positive teaching of LGBT+ identities and relationships \u2013 was repealed over 20 years ago, there are still very few visible role models of LGBT+ figures in STEMM.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows how changing laws and undoing their lasting impact are two very different things,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, education can help redress this imbalance, which is why we\u2019re delighted to be working with Schools OUT on this project, as it ensures real impact across UK schools, museums and other educational settings.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders, CEO of Schools OUT and co-founder of UK LGBT+ History Month said: \u201cAt Schools OUT we have worked tirelessly to \u2018usualise\u2019 LGBT+ people in all our diversity, producing free\u00a0resources for education settings and beyond. We often see very little representation of LGBT+ people working in STEM, which is why we chose \u2018Science and Innovation\u2019 as the theme for 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have long admired the work PRISM do and jumped at the chance to work with them on expanding the reach from the poster competition they held last UK LGBT+ History Month. These resources will be able to be used throughout this year and beyond, shining a light on the brilliant work of LGBT+ people in STEM.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is supported by the Association of Science & Discovery Centres<\/a> (ASDC), with many members committing to sharing Exeter\u2019s materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n These include the Royal Institution in London<\/a>, the Ocean Explorer Centre<\/a> in Oban, We the Curious<\/a> in Bristol and W5<\/a> in Belfast.\u00a0<\/p>\n Social enterprise Science Made Simple<\/a> has also helped produce Welsh translated versions for schools in Wales.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LGBT-History-Month_cakes-771x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
Cupcakes reveal the UK LGBT + History Month 2026 theme<\/p>\n