Lesbian Visibility Day on the 26 April 2025 is preceded by Lesbian Visibility Week (LVW), an annual awareness event celebrating lesbian women and non-binary people.
The theme for 2025 is “celebrating rainbow families”. This is a global campaign to spotlight LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people’s families, giving them the platform to be understood and appreciated.
LVW was originally celebrated in California in the early 1990s, coordinated by the West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Centre. A new LVW was founded in 2020 by Linda Riley as a way to celebrate lesbian visibility and community, as well as to raise awareness of the ongoing need for lesbian spaces and expression.
Keira Thomas, co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network, said: “Being a lesbian, I feel so proud and part of something special and sacred. All lesbian experiences and journeys vary, I enjoy learning from the fellow lesbians who I connect with. This is very different to when I first came out in my late 20s and hadn’t had many interactions with lesbians. Instead, I watched The L Word to learn about a world that was entirely new to me.
“I now have lived experience and continue to look towards the future with an open mind, heart, and with hope for my personal journeys, but also those who are questioning, confused, in denial, or may not be ready to come out just yet. My advice: there is no time limit or demand for permanency, do what feels right for you."
The LGBTQ+ Staff Network committee shared the following: “We at the LGBTQ+ Staff Network are proud to celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week. We invite everyone to use this time to honour the lesbians in their lives and to reflect on the countless women, cis and trans, who have played pivotal roles in the fight for equality. The lesbian community’s vibrant, rich culture intersects with every other community, weaving together the colourful threads that form our beautiful pride flag.
“We also recognise the challenges our community faces in the wake of the recent Supreme Court hearing. We are frustrated by the Court’s decision and the British media’s relentless attacks on transgender people, particularly transgender women. Restrictive definitions of womanhood and lesbianism only serve to narrow the scope of who belongs, harming our trans sisters, intersex siblings, and butch community members. Laws should protect us and ensure everyone is treated with dignity. Where the law falls short, our community will continue to stand together and lift each other up.”
The LGBTQ+ Staff Network is an independent group of LGBTQ+ staff within the University. Their views are important alongside those of other Staff Networks and indeed of all our staff. As indicated by the Vice Chancellor in her statement for Trans Day of Visibility, we continue to work for a supportive and inclusive environment on our campus for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming students and staff. The University is committed to equality and inclusion in respect of all protected characteristics, including sex, gender reassignment, and religion and belief (which includes those holding gender-critical views) and we will continue to support the expression of a diversity of viewpoints, including in relation to this judgement.
Regarding the implications for any University policies or procedures of the judgement, we will engage with the community further once these have become clearer, which is likely to be following publication of updated statutory guidance from the Equality & Human Rights Commission.
Further reading and resources
Support for Staff and Students
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Staff members who identify as LGBTQ+ can join our LGBTQ+ Staff Network by contacting lgbt-staff@sussex.ac.uk. The LGBTQ+ Staff Network arranges events and activities through the year, and provides an informal network of LGBTQ+ staff. Many of their events are open to all staff, and some events are also open to students. To find out more, see the Staff Networks page.
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Students who identify as LGBTQ+ can join the Students’ Union’s LGBTQ+ Society and contact the Students’ Union officers for support.
Other resources and support
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The University of Sussex is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for every member of its community. If you or someone else has experienced behaviours such as bullying, harassment, a hate incident, sexual violence, domestic abuse or discrimination, you can let us know using Report and Support.
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The University’s Wellbeing Support Guide contains a dedicated section signposting to a variety of LGBTQ+-specific resources
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Students can find resources and support at the Student Centre and on the Sexuality and Gender Support and Information web pages.