We’ve therefore become accustomed to fighting for our right to exist. Those men who were persecuted through the fifties and sixties - afraid that they would be punished for being gay - sit alongside a generation who went to school under the shadow of the pernicious Section 28, while both generations received a barrage of messages that ‘homosexuals’ spread disease and danger. The young people of today serve in our armed forces next to sergeants and majors who’ve only felt able to be open about their sexuality in the last few years. Today, we see more couples marrying – those who’ve been together thirty years or three years. We’re starting families, being open about our sexuality and gender identity with our family, our community, our workplace, our place of worship, ourselves.

We all share a sense of the part we have played in creating the Britain we live in now and have strong experiences that unite us. But the experiences of older LGBT people are often lost and we forget to reflect on our heritage, where we’ve come from and how those experiences shape who we are today. We must take time to listen to all those from the LGBT community, not just those who have the highest profile or the loudest voices.

That is why Stonewall has created a new book – LGBT Voices – to celebrate the stories of some pioneers who have fought for equality. The book shares 25 stories from LGBT people who have lived through inequalities and experiences that are rarely reflected on television, in books, in films or in our schools.

And with the support of Heritage Lottery Fund we’ve been able to support an extensive heritage archive of pamphlets and publications, campaigns and clippings about the remarkable progress we as a movement have made. The archive is available to view at the Bishopsgate Institute in London. More information is available on the Bishopsgate Institute blog page.

Read the stories and share them, take copies to your local school and find older LGBT people and ask them their stories. Our history is important to all of us. We must make the time to listen.