Below is the text of an assembly I delivered to all year groups in 2025. --- My name is Mr Cussen.  I use the pronouns he/him and I am gay.  If I had said that back in 2003—just over 20 years ago, I would have been fired and not allowed to teach again.  A lot has changed since 2003, particularly concerning the rights and freedoms of LGBT people, so I want to take time today to look back at how far we have come, and to consider some of the challenges we still face.  Before I get into all that, however, I want to address the—presumably—vast majority of you who don't consider yourselves to be LGBT. Why should any of this matter to you? Why should you listen?  Firstly, this isn’t just about LGBT people—it’s about all of us. Everyone deserves to live in a world where they can be themselves without fear of rejection or judgement. A more accepting world is a better world for everyone.  Secondly, whether we realise it or not, we all know someone who is LGBT. They could be a friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, or even your future children. Understanding the history I’m sharing today—and the progress we’ve made—allows you to be a better friend, sibling, child, student, and, maybe one day, a better parent.  Finally, and most importantly, kindness and respect shouldn’t depend on whether an issue directly affects you. They reflect the kind of person you choose to be and the world you choose to create. By choosing kindness and respect, you help build a better world for everyone.   So, even if you don’t see yourself in this history, you have the power to shape its future. That's why you should listen. That's why this should matter to you.  As it is LGBT history month, my main focus today is on the past; while you are listening, I want you to reflect on your own experiences—whether you are gay, bi, trans, straight or figuring it out. Do you recognise the world I'm describing or is the world you've experienced different? If it's different, how?  22 years ago, I would have been fired for standing up here and delivering this assembly. 22 years ago, the UK had a law known as 'Section 28' that made it illegal for schools to "promote homosexuality." This law was passed by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1988 and remained law until being repealed by Tony Blair's government in 2003. That's 15 years where teachers were banned from talking openly about LGBT issues in schools.  I'm going to focus now on our school and how it has changed in the last 20 years or so.  You may already know that I am a former St Bart's student. I started year 7 in 2008 and left year 13 in 2015. I spent the majority of my time in the new school, using the same classrooms you have lessons in today.  Despite Section 28 no longer being law in 2003, I don’t remember any statements from the school supporting LGBT identities throughout my time at St Bart’s.  I remember one of my English teachers being very open about having a gay son and I remember another English teacher being incredibly supportive as I came to terms with my own identity. But there were no Pride assemblies, no assemblies like this one. There were no Pride flags. There was nothing embedded in the curriculum beyond awkwardly forced examples of same-sex relationships in a couple of PDP PowerPoints.  I remember being particularly dissatisfied with PDP and how 'straight' it was. I didn’t see myself in the material we were learning, which made it difficult for me to care and made me feel like the way I am was wrong.  In year 11, I somehow ended up in a couple of meetings with one of the then-deputy heads arguing about the contents of the PDP curriculum and how limited it was. I got a meeting, but nothing changed.  In 2014, a year before I left St Bart's, same sex marriage became legal in the UK but there was no recognition of this milestone in school. That same year, I went to my first Pride march in London. I don't recommend doing this, but I lied to my parents and went without them knowing because I didn't think that they would accept me.  In 2016, St Bart’s celebrated Pride month for the first time. Unfortunately, they missed the point and instead celebrated “things that we are proud of”. Things like your GCSE grades and getting house colours. It was an attempt, a move in the right direction--but just like my meeting about PDP, ultimately fruitless.  And then, in 2017, St Bart’s had their first real celebration of Pride. 8 years ago. This school is over 500 years old and the first celebration of Pride was only 8 years ago. How old were you then? How much has changed in those 8 years?  22 years ago: what I’m saying to you today was criminal.  10 years ago: completely unthinkable.  8 years ago: possible.  Last year, with the full support of the school, I spoke in whole-school assembly and became the first member of staff to say, “You know that Pride thing? That’s me”. Last year, we marched in Newbury Pride with teachers, parents, students, and a governor, representing St Bart's for the first time. Last year, my mum, who I never thought would do this, marched with us.  Everything I thought I knew about this school that would never change, has—and at such an alarming rate. You are one of the first few year groups to go through school in a time where LGBT identities have been openly celebrated.  You are more fortunate in this regard than any generation before you.  However, because all this progress is so new and therefore fragile, it can easily be undone. If we look out at the world around us, many countries are going backwards, undoing the hard-won freedoms and rights of LGBT people.  We have come a long way but there is more to be done. I think particularly about the rights and freedoms of trans people, a group who are demonised by the media—dehumanised. And for what? Being who they are? There is much more work to be done.  I hope you now have a deeper understanding of this school’s history and just how recent this progress is.  More than that, I hope you choose to treat everyone—no matter their identity—with kindness, respect, and empathy.  I hope you stand up for change and help carry progress forward in a world that still needs it.  The future is in your hands. The world we create next will be shaped by the choices you make. So, what kind of world is it going to be? It's up to you.