LGBT+ History Month 2026 celebrates 'Science and innovation'
The month is all about remembering the contributions of LGBTQ+ pioneers - and looking towards the future
The 22nd UK LGBT+ History Month is well underway, all with the aim of celebrating the achievements and contributions of queer people throughout history.
The theme for 2026 is 'Science & Innovation,' which was unveiled at a special ceremony back in November at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London.
It'll be focusing on recognising LGBTQ+ figures in science and innovation, whose work has had a significant influence on global technological advancements, healthcare developments, and solutions to environmental challenges such as climate change and clean energy.
Highlighting the importance of diverse teams in driving solutions for everyone, the month will also reflect on the discrimination faced by LGBT+ people as a result of the misuse of science, including the medicalisation and pathologisation of LGBTQ+ identities.
Organisers Schools OUT stress the need to continue addressing these historic harms while celebrating progress.
An 'explosive conical flask'
The theme for LGBT+ History Month 2025 is 'Science and Innovation', and the announcement includes a new badge design created by Leeds-based science communicator, Dr Robin Hayward.
Dr Hayward's design features a conical flask with intricate elements that aim to represent the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
These include a brown and black stripe symbolising people of colour, as well as bubbles inspired by the intersex flag, blended into the chemical reaction depicted within the flask.
Robin explained the idea behind the design: "This design has a brown and black stripe down the bottom, representing people of colour; it's got the intersex flag in the bubbles of the chemical reaction... trying to involve people beyond just the classic 'rainbow', I think, has been really well received."
The conical flask is also part of a broader metaphor for community. "It's this idea of something coming together, and changing, which mirrors the mixing of our community," Robin said.
Discussing the 2025 theme, Robin added: "The idea of 'Science and Innovation' is all about the expertise being showcased in the LGBTQ+ world, and my background in ecology proves that 'queerness' is there at all times.
"Biological sciences show it's all baked in, really, to how we study science."
Drawing attention to the challenges facing the queer community, Robin highlighted the struggles faced by transgender individuals. "For example, a recent report showed how current waiting times for a first appointment with a doctor - based on current rates - is more than 200 years.
"It's a real danger that the NHS isn't able to cope or accept people in a timescale that many would hope for or expect."
However, they remain hopeful for the future. "There also seems to be a push to villainise queer communities at the moment, and I think what we can look forward to is that idea of 'togetherness'. It's this kind of support and positivity, if anything, we can all really stay positive about."
'HIV research and treatment advances wouldn’t have been possible without collaboration'
Robbie Currie, the CEO of the National AIDS Trust, has underscored the remarkable progress made in combating HIV and reducing stigma, while calling for continued action to support those affected by the virus.
This LGBT+ History Month, Robbie said: “The LGBT+ community has been absolutely fundamental to challenging government, challenging pharma, and challenging perceptions.
"HIV really galvanised the community to stand up for its rights and to ensure equal rights and dignity for everybody living with or affected by the virus.”
One key moment in the fight against HIV was its identification back in the 1980s.
Robbie said this discovery gave rise to crucial scientific progress: “HIV was established as the virus that causes AIDS, which transformed the fight against what was then a mysterious disease. Once HIV was identified, we had a known quantity to address and tackle head-on.”
Another milestone came thirty years ago, in 1996, with the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART), changing the course of treatment forever.
He highlighted the significance of this innovation: “At the time, HIV was considered a death sentence, but ART transformed that.
"People went from dying to living with the virus. It was incredible to see how lives changed almost overnight.”
In recent years, the development and wider availability of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) further strengthened HIV prevention efforts.
As Robbie explained, NAT played a key role in taking NHS England to court 10 years ago to ensure access: “We fought for PrEP to be available and are proud of the outcome - it’s now routinely commissioned.
"But there’s still work to do in making it accessible to everyone.”
Looking to the future, Robbie expressed hope for long-acting injectable treatments that would eliminate the need for daily HIV medication: “With injectables, people may only need one injection every two months or even every six months. It’s truly transformative - for many, it allows them to forget about HIV for a bit, which is life-changing.”
'Lots of people still think HIV is a death sentence'
Despite advances in both treatment and prevention, stigma surrounding HIV persists.
“Unfortunately, lots of people still think HIV is a death sentence,” he said.
NAT's HIV Confident programme focuses on combating these misconceptions by raising awareness in organisations like businesses, the NHS, and local authorities.
“Even though we’ve come leaps and bounds scientifically, a lack of knowledge still holds some people back from testing or accessing treatment. There’s still a lot of work to do," said Robbie.
"But we’ve moved forward because of the robustness of scientific research. It’s vital we counter misinformation with evidence-based truth.”
Over the decades, collaboration has been at the heart of HIV progress.
Robbie noted that the identification of HIV in 1981 was independently achieved by scientists in France and the United States. “This marked the start of global cooperation. It’s incredible to reflect on how far we’ve come since then, progressing as a global scientific community to confront HIV together.”
He added, “While LGBT scientists and advocates have massively contributed, our community has also relied heavily on the support of allies. HIV research and treatment advances wouldn’t have been possible without collaboration between communities worldwide.
“When budgets get tight, spending on public health can be impacted, creating inequities in access to care. It’s something we have to fight against, as the cost of treatment is far outweighed by its benefits in preventing further transmission."
Currie shared his hope for continued progress as NAT works towards the UK government’s ambitious goal to eliminate new HIV transmissions by 2030, as outlined in the updated National HIV Action Plan last year.
Read more: World AIDS Day: goal to end HIV transmissions by 2030 'within reach'
“The plan reflects a massive commitment to resources and the UN target to end new cases by 2030, and although we’re not currently on track, there’s optimism with renewed efforts and funding across government, civil society, and industry,” he said.
Reflecting on challenges ahead, Currie added that nearly 110,000 to 115,000 people will still be living with HIV in the UK by 2030: “Meeting the health and social care needs of this ageing population will be essential as we look to the future. While the fight to end transmissions is critical, these individuals also deserve dedicated support to live long, healthy lives.”
'The community still feel pressure to hide parts of who they are'
Shropshire-based advocate and researcher Patrick "Poggy" Murray Whitham has shared their thoughts on the importance of diversity and inclusion during this year's LGBT+ History Month.
Poggy, a multi-award-winning author and diversity and inclusion professional from Whitchurch, is known for their book ‘Inclusion Moments,’ which topped Amazon charts last year in three categories, including diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ+ books.
The book explores real-life moments of inclusion through short reflections drawn from Poggy's personal and professional experiences.
Speaking about the current diversity picture within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Poggy highlighted the pressures faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in the sector.
"Particularly within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, a lot of the community still feel the pressure to hide parts of who they are in order to succeed, and in order to be taken seriously," Poggy said.
According to Poggy, between 20% and 35% of LGBTQ+ people in engineering report experiencing workplace discrimination, with this figure rising to 72% in automation workplaces.
"If LGBTQ+ people are excluded from these kinds of innovation spaces, we don't just lose talent, we will actually fail to innovate," Poggy said. "Innovation thrives on difference and creativity - not uniformity and sameness."
Reflecting on this year’s LGBT+ History Month theme, ‘Science & Innovation,’ Poggy emphasized the importance of inclusivity for progress within the sector.
"When it comes to engineering, inclusion is an innovation issue," Poggy said.
"When people feel safe, they can take risks, and risk taking is an essential part of innovation. Psychological safety enables people to question things and come up with better solutions, which is a core part of engineering."
Poggy noted that the roll-back of diversity, equity, and inclusion funding around the world presents challenges for the LGBTQ+ community, but highlighted how some organisations are adapting:
"For instance, they're calling diversity and inclusion 'People and Culture,' and I'm happy with that - it's nice seeing some companies standing firm about this, particularly because of the benefits this brings to the whole science and engineering sector."
Speaking about wider issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, Poggy cited the increasing polarisation of opinion as a major challenge.
"A decade ago, we seemed to have an ability to disagree with other people, and have that be healthy. That's a skill which, as a society, we seem to have lost," Poggy said.
"So Pride, and anything relating to the LGBTQ+ community at the moment feels a lot more like a protest at the moment than it has done in recent years. We are seeing our rights being rolled back, particularly when it comes to the trans community."
'Some people can't name one LGBTQ+ scientist'
Sarah Cosgriff, an award-winning science communicator and equity, diversity and inclusion specialist from Wiltshire, is urging greater representation of LGBTQ+ scientists in education and media during LGBT+ History Month.
Sarah works across various sectors, including public engagement with research, LGBTQ+ inclusion in STEM education, and workplace asexual inclusion, and discussed the lack of visibility for LGBTQ+ scientists, saying: "If you think about, even with the representation of scientists in the media, and who we tend to know, it's not always diverse, and some people can't even name one LGBTQ+ scientist at all.
"Some people can maybe name Alan Turing or one other scientist. So, for me, it's been really important in my work beyond LGBT+ History Month to raise the visibility of queer people in this sector."
They highlighted the impact of minimal LGBTQ+ representation during their own education, stating: "For me, as someone who didn't know they weren't straight until 31 years old, and witnessing not very much media representation as I was growing up, I think about that younger me, and how this experience made me not realise I wasn't straight for a really long time.
"At school, we didn't speak about any queer people in the curriculum.
"Now, at least we have a mention of Alan Turing, but there clearly is so much more work to do."
Sarah shared an encounter with a 6-year-old trans child at one of their science shows, underscoring the significance of representation for younger generations:
"I met a kid there who's probably around 6 years old, and wanted to tell me there that she was trans.
"It always makes me feel feelings when I tell this story.
"There can be some people resistant about me speaking to people who are this young, but all I'm doing is telling stories of people - that's it.
"Seeing how we talk about trans people keeps becoming more negative, and this is a thing I see now slowly impacting education, too.
"It just reminds me of the moral panic of the 1980s, and the false idea that 'if we talk to young people about being trans, we're going to make them trans'.
"And that's why history is so important.
"One historical figure, for instance, I was researching, I found their family tried to burn her belongings after she died to erase the fact she was a lesbian."
Sarah emphasised the need for broader awareness of LGBTQ+ contributors to science, past and present: "Do we know of all of the amazing LGBTQ+ scientists and innovators out there? I'm going to be honest, I don't think I even know that - so my hope is that more of them will be known through this month - especially through highlighting five special historical figures.
"I really hope from this is that we can open up a space for trans people to talk about their own expertise.
"We have these amazing trans people today who are contributing to science and innovation, and are making all of our worlds and lives better."
This year's iconic figures
As part of the celebration each year, five historical LGBT+ figures are chosen in line with the theme to spotlight their contributions.
The figures selected for 2026 are:
- Barbara Burford, a medical researcher influential in establishing NHS equality and diversity guidelines
- Charles Beyer, a locomotive engineer and founder of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
- Elke Mackenzie, a botanist who conducted research on lichens in Antarctica
- Jemma Redmond, a biotechnologist known for developing 3D bioprinters to create tissues and organs
- Robert Boyle, considered a founder of modern chemistry and the scientific method
UK LGBT+ History Month was first founded in 2005, following the repeal of Section 28.
The annual month is dedicated to educating about LGBT+ history and fostering environments that make LGBT+ people feel safe while celebrating their diverse achievements.
This year’s theme aims to not only raise awareness of influential figures but also to encourage the world to ‘Claim our past, Celebrate our present, Create our future.’
You can check out more about last year's theme here: LGBT+ History Month 2025: Activism & Social Change
Useful links
You can find out more about LGBT+ History Month on the Schools OUT website.
There are also plenty of places you can turn to, if you are needing help.
Switchboard is the national LGBTQ+ helpline.
Galop support LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence.
The LGBT Foundation work on improving the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people.
There are useful mental health links over on the Mind website.