Creating personal playlists with Pride
Personally meaningful music can connect us to the deepest parts of our identity.
The place you are from, the experiences you have had and the communities you are part of all make up the soundtrack of your life.
For the LGBTQ+ community, music has played an important part for many years and our latest partner playlist marks LGBT History Month by celebrating music associated with Pride.
Curated by the LGBTQ Older People’s Network and staff from Age Scotland, the playlist features celebration anthems and songs of remembrance to mark LGBT+ History month, which has been observed every February in the UK since 2005.
The playlist was launched at an event marking LGBT+ History Month at Age Scotland on 28th February 2024.
Rebecca Kennedy, Head of Communites at Playlist for Life said:
“We are very grateful to Age Scotland’s LGBTQ+ Older People’s forum and staff for contributing to this playlist of personally meaningful tunes that celebrate Pride.
“It was a joy to be part of the History Month celebrations and hear the performance from the Rainbow Ukes, which featured a few songs from the playlist. It was also wonderful to chat to so many people about their musical memories and the songs that represented LGBTQ+ identity for different people: from ‘Small Town Boy’ bringing back memories of youth, to ‘We Are Family’ standing out as an anthem representing the community spirit at pride marches.
“We encourage everyone to listen to the playlist and hope that it sparks joyful memories for you.”
The event also featured speakers from Age Scotland CEO Katherine Crawford and representatives from Lavendar Menace Queer Book Archive. While inspiring and uplifting, these talks served as a stark reminder of the discrimination and many challenges LGBTQ+ people have faced in the past and present. Many adults in the UK will have lived through a time when homosexuality was a criminal offence until it was legalised in 1967, and will know the struggles of feeling forced to hide their true identity.
Wonderful to mark #LGBTHistoryMonth at our office today! Thanks to everyone who joined us, including members of our LGBTQ+ Older People’s Network, @menacesof2019, @LGBTHealthy, the Rainbow Ukes and @PlaylistForLife - who helped launch our #Pride playlist. pic.twitter.com/Tp2hJVN9no
— Age Scotland (@agescotland) February 28, 2024
Supporting people living with dementia from the LGBTQ+ community
We encourage Music Detectives working with this community to build personal playlists to not only ensure their work reflects the LGBTQ+ identity but considers the social history of LGBTQ+. Certain songs from someone’s life may elicit strong emotions and so we have guidance on how to use music safely here.
Find out more about the event on Age Scotland’s blog.
The Pride playlist can be found on our Automatic Playlist Maker’s Record Collections under ‘Identity’.
