LGBTQ+ contribution to the Cairngorms National Park is being celebrated
The LGBTQ+ community's heritage and contribution to the Cairngorms National Park will be celebrated tomorrow and could create a little piece of town history along the way.
'Somewhere: For Us in the Cairngorms' is a free-to-access and family-friendly event which is marking February's LGBT History Month.
The event at Grantown Museum from 3pm will also include the launch of the latest edition of Scotland’s leading LGBTQ+ magazine, Somewhere: For Us, which is now based in the national park.
Organisers think that the special event might also make a little bit of history too – as perhaps the first public LGBT History Month event to take place in the town.
The initiative is about bringing greater visibility to LGBTQ+ people’s lives and stories, both past and present.
Doors open at 2.30pm for the two-hour event which will feature a heritage talk about the lives of three LGBTQ+ historical figures across four centuries all of whom had connections to what is now the Cairngorms National Park area.
A Somewhere: For Us spokesperson said: "Through the power of illustration, we have gathered Anne Lister, Lord Byron and Hamish Henderson at the Blair Atholl pub, where we will hear their stories together for the first time.
"We’ll also bring words from the past to life, as Marie Louise Napier will be singing songs featuring lyrics from two of our historical figures, as well as other nature-and-locally-inspired songs."
Central to the event is the launch of the Spring 2023 issue of Somewhere: For Us magazine, which features many stories and illustrations about the Cairngorms area, showcasing LGBTQ+ people, groups and businesses who all live and work here.
There is a focus on the theme of Coming Home – the cover depicting the Strathspey Railway as it has never been seen before. As it is the tenth issue of the award-winning magazine, there will also be free cake to celebrate.
Kathryn Pierce, co-founder and co-editor of Somewhere: For Us magazine, said: “We are so delighted to be able to bring a special rainbow to Grantown on Friday to champion the lives of LGBTQ+ people and allies who call the park home, and whose businesses contribute to the area’s ongoing success.
"Sometimes LGBTQ+ lives remain hidden or unacknowledged, so this is a chance for them to shine in their own right.”
The event is being supported by the Community-Led Vision Fund through the Scottish Government and the Cairngorms Trust in partnership with Cairngorms National Park Authority.
• To find out more visit www.somewhereforus.org and @Somewhere_For Us on Twitter and Instagram.
