LGBTQ+ People

Diversify your teaching and encourage your learners to strive for success by discussing these influential Scots who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Why Is It Important to Discuss LGBTQ+ People?

Growing up is hard. Children experience a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges throughout their childhood, some more than others. Having somebody to look up to, a role model whose experiences they can relate to, can often make these challenges easier to overcome. Children look up to all kinds of people – some will look up to their favourite athletes, musicians and actors, not forgetting the impact that politicians can have through pushing for positive change.

Growing up as an LGBTQ+ child adds additional challenges. As a child, there were very few role models I could identify with, least of all openly queer people. I always felt like I didn’t fit in, try as I might to relate to the people my friends looked up to. Knowing this experience and having entered the teaching profession to try to make a difference, it’s clear to me that we must do better by our young people. One way we can do this is through diversifying our discussions and highlighting prominent, successful queer people.

When you think about it, discussing the success of public figures happens fairly regularly in the classroom. Whether it’s discussing current affairs, athletes who have achieved greatness or an actor from the latest blockbuster that your class can’t stop talking about, role models are a frequent topic of conversation. However, how frequently do you mention LGBTQ+ people in these discussions? Normalising discussions around LGBTQ+ topics includes discussing LGBTQ+ people just as you would any other key figure.

To help spark these conversations, Twinkl Scotland have gathered the details of a number of successful queer Scots. While there are many incredible LGBTQ+ Scots out there, we have tried to suggest people that learners may be interested in, that they may feel they can relate to and whose achievements are diverse. This blog is in no way intended to be a definitive list but more a starting point to help education professionals looking to make their practice more inclusive. We have provided some background information about each person, including their achievements and their link to the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBTQ+ Scots Authors

Dame Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow and became the first woman, first Scottish poet and first openly LGBTQ+ person to become the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. She is openly a lesbian and her poetry works span four decades, having had her poetry first published when she was only fifteen years old. As Poet Laureate, she has written poetry for Queen Elizabeth II and the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Her poetry is currently studied in British schools for a number of qualifications, such as National 5 and GCSEs.

Jackie Kay CBE is an Edinburgh-born poet, playwright and novelist. She is the current Scots Makar and as a lesbian, she is the second LGBTQ+ person to take the role. She was born to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father and was later adopted by a couple from Glasgow. Her first book of poetry, The Adoption Papers, was published in 1991. It explored identity, nationality, race, sexuality and gender from three female perspectives. Her work has continued to be recognised with awards and honours, most recently being appointed as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 New Year’s Honours for her services to literature.

Douglas Stuart is a queer Scottish-American author, whose debut novel, Shuggie Bain, won the 2020 Booker Prize. He has spoken of his experience growing up queer in a difficult environment, having been raised in Sighthill, Glasgow. Shuggie Bain reflects the struggles of Stuart’s childhood, giving an honest portrayal of poverty and the working class in Glasgow in the 1980s and 90s. Before finding success with writing, Douglas Stuart worked in fashion design with big names, such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.

Grant Morrison MBE, born in Glasgow, is a comic-book writer and playwright, well known for titles such as Batman, New X-Men and All-Star Superman. They have worked with independent comic-book publishers as well as big names, such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics, with some of their writing being adapted for television. Morrison is non-binary and gender queer, using they/them pronouns.

LGBTQ+ Scots in Entertainment

Alan Cumming OBE is an award-winning Scottish actor. He was born in Perthshire and is best known for his acting roles in films such as the James Bond film Goldeneye and the 1996 adaptation of Emma. He began his theatre career performing in Scotland at venues, such as the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Dundee Rep, before moving on to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre (for which he won an Olivier), London’s West End and Broadway. He is bisexual and has campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights on many occasions, winning awards for his activism from LGBTQ+ organisations such as GLAAD and the Trevor Project.

John Barrowman MBE is a Scottish-American actor, born in Glasgow. He is well known for his role of Captain Jack Harkness in the Doctor Who as well as Torchwood. During one of his early television roles, Barrowman says that he was actively discouraged from discussing his life as a gay man and was subsequently written out of the show. Since then, he has appeared in a large number of theatre productions and television shows, as well as worked with organisations such as Stonewall to campaign for LGBTQ+ rights.

Sophie Xeon, known as SOPHIE, was a Scottish musician known for her ‘hyperkinetic’ take on popular music. Initially, she remained anonymous but later came out as a trans woman. Her debut album ‘Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides’ was nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards for Best Dance/Electronic Album. She also produced music for acts such as Madonna and Charli XCX. Sadly, SOPHIE passed away in January 2021. She was described as a pioneer and was credited with broadening the scope of modern pop music.

LGBTQ+ Scots in Sport

Rachel Corsie is a professional footballer who currently plays in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA. She debuted for the Scotland national team in 2009 and has since appeared over 100 times for the squad, currently acting as captain of the team. She was born in Aberdeen and previously played in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, the English FA Women’s Super League and the Australian W-League. Though she has not spoken publicly about her sexuality, she is currently in a relationship with professional squash player Lisa Aitken. Her Scotland senior teammates Shannon Lynn and Lisa Evans are also a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Graeme Obree is a world record breaking champion racing cyclist who grew up in Scotland, nicknamed ‘The Flying Scotsman.’ Obree has spoken about the difficulty he found in coming to terms with his sexuality as a gay man and has been open about his mental health struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. Obree broke the world ‘hour record’ twice in 1993 and subsequently in 1994, and became the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. Obree’s original bike, named ‘Old Faithful’, can be seen at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Robyn Love is a Scottish wheelchair basketball player who has represented Great Britain in a number of competitions. Love was born with a rare condition that affects her legs and as a result she competes as a ‘3.5-point player’, which means that her ability to move in certain ways is limited. Love first tried wheelchair basketball while she was attending university in Edinburgh. Since being selected for the British national team, she has won two bronze and one silver medal at the European Championships and competed at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where the team placed fourth. Love is a lesbian and is engaged to her long-time partner and GB teammate Laurie Williams.

LGBTQ+ Scots in Politics

Patrick Harvie is a Scottish politician and co-Leader of the Scottish Green Party. He has been an elected member of Scottish Parliament since 2003, having previously worked as a development worker with what is now the Terrence Higgins Trust. He was active in the campaign to repeal Section 28 which banned local authorities from ‘promoting homosexuality’ and stopped schools from promoting homosexuality as a ‘pretended family relationship.’ Harvie became the first openly bisexual Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) as one of seven regional MSPs for Glasgow.

Mhairi Black became the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) for centuries when she was elected in May 2015 at 20 years old. As a candidate for the Scottish National Party (SNP) and MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, she has been a vocal critic of the Conservative government as well as the Houses of Parliament and its practices. Black has spoken openly about her experience as a lesbian in politics and the challenges this has had.

Ruth Davidson is a former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party and current MSP for the constituency of Edinburgh Central. Formerly a regional MSP for Glasgow, Davidson led the Scottish Conservatives during the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections which saw them replace Scottish Labour as the second largest party in Holyrood. During her time as party leader, Davidson provided strong opposition to the SNP until she stood down in 2019, citing personal and political reasons for her decision.