Resources Article

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month

In celebration of LGBTQ+ Month 2022, the Clore Leadership team take time to share the queer pioneers who have inspired them.

Portraits of Alok Menon, Alison Bechdel, Derek Jarman, Renée Vivien, Audre Lorde, Juno Dawson

Alok Menon by Bhavini

‘Alok Menon is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. As a mixed-media artist their work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. They are a huge inspiration – I really love their discourse around self-love and compassion (and also centring that when dealing with internet trolls), they degender fashion and also share their experiences of being gender non-conforming.’

Alison Bechdel by Rebecca

‘Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist who gave the world the famous movie equality ‘test’. Her family tragicomic Fun Home became a Tony award-winning musical telling the story of her complex relationship with her father but also her own coming of age journey as she explores her sexuality at college. I often find queer female stories are rarely told, and seeing Fun Home on stage at the Young Vic in 2018 just made my heart sing. To see myself represented on stage was a truly life-affirming experience.’

Derek Jarman by Nicole

‘Derek Jarman is an amazing artist and activist, who continued writing/filmmaking right up until his death from AIDS in 1994. His final film was Blue (1993) is a reflection of his battle with AIDS and his loss of sight which is really moving. His cottage in Dungeness in Kent (where he spent his final years and tended his garden) is a bit of an artist pilgrimage. It was saved by a fundraising campaign by Art Fund. It was apparently one of the largest arts crowdfunding campaigns!!’

Renée Vivien by Lucy

‘I’ve always loved the works of poet Renée Vivien. She was the first lesbian to translate the works of Sappho, and she wrote soulful and unabashedly original poetry about her life and lovers. Today, she’s thought of as amongst the first women to write openly lesbian poetry. Her works achieved popularity within her own time and contributed to the rise in favour of Sapphic verse.’

Audre Lorde by Hilary

‘Audre Lorde is an inspiration, beacon and challenger who used her experience as a Black, queer woman in white academia to channel her life and work. Lorde explored the intersections of race, class, and gender in canonical essays such as “The Master’s Tools Will Not Dismantle the Master’s House.” She intertwined feminist theory, critical race studies, and queer theory with personal experiences for some of the most thought-provoking enquiries of her time.’

Juno Dawson by Freya

‘I’m inspired by Juno Dawson the British novelist, screenwriter, journalist and transgender activist. I first read one of Juno’s books, ‘The Gender Games: The Problem With Men and Women, From Someone Who Has Been Both’ in 2019 and I’ve been hooked on her work ever since. She has such a relatable and clear way of explaining the social constructs of gender within our society and how damaging they can be for young people in particular.

Her writing for young teens is also paving a way for a younger generation to imagine and hopefully know a society where those of different gender identities are more harmoniously and naturally integrated and less polarised. Juno is also hilarious in general and I greatly appreciate and share her obsessive love for Sex and the City, which is so extensive she’s created a whole podcast from it – which brightens every Tuesday for me!’

Themes Inclusive Leadership Practice