This year marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. As a result, many arts organisation are organising events to mark the annivesary, looking at the contributions of LGBT people and cultures in the UK. One of those organisations is the Tate, which will host the first exhibition dedicated to queer British art, showcasing material that relates to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer identities. It will present work from the abolition of the death penalty for sodomy in 1861 to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act in 1967 – a time of seismic shifts in gender and sexuality that found expression in the arts as artists and viewers explored their desires, experiences and sense of self.

Spanning the playful to the political, the explicit to the domestic, Queer British Art 1861-1967 will showcase the rich diversity of queer visual art and its role in society. Themes explored in the exhibition will include coded desires amongst the Pre-Raphaelites, representations of and by women who defied convention (including Virginia Woolf), and love and lust in sixties Soho. It will feature works by major artists such as Francis Bacon, Keith Vaughan, Evelyn de Morgan, Gluck, Glyn Philpot, Claude Cahun and Cecil Beaton alongside queer ephemera, personal photographs, film and magazines.

Work from 1861 to 1967 by artists with diverse sexualities and gender identities will be showcased, and will range from covert images of same-sex desire such as Simeon Solomon’s Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene 1864 through to the open appreciation of queer culture in David Hockney’s Going to be a Queen for Tonight 1960. A highlight of the exhibition will be a section focusing on the Bloomsbury set and their contemporaries – an artistic group famous for their bohemian attitude towards sexuality. The room will include intimate paintings of lovers, scenes of the homes artists shared with their partners and large commissions by artists such as Duncan Grant and Ethel Walker.

Many of the works that will be displayed were produced in a time when the terms ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’, ‘bisexual’ and ‘trans’ had little public recognition. The exhibition will illustrate the ways in which sexuality became publically defined through the work of sexologists such as Henry Havelock Ellis, campaigners such as Edward Carpenter and will also look at the high profile trials of Oscar Wilde and Radclyffe Hall. Objects on display will include the door from Wilde’s prison cell, Charles Buchel’s portrait of Radclyffe Hall and erotic drawings by Aubrey Beardsley.

In contrast to the bleak outlook from the courtroom prior to 1967, queer culture was embraced by the British public in the form of theatre. From music hall acts to costume design, British theatre provided a forum in which sexuality and gender expression could be openly explored. Striking examples on display will include photographs of performers such as Beatrix Lehmann, Berto Parsuka and Robert Helpmann by Angus McBean, who was jailed for his sexuality in 1942, alongside stage designs by Oliver Messel and Edward Burra. Theatrical cards of music hall performers such as Vesta Tilley (whose act as ‘Burlington Bertie’ had a large lesbian following) will also be featured, as well as a pink wig worn in Jimmy Slater’s act ‘A Perfect Lady’ from the 1920s.

Queer British Art 1861-1967 will show how artists and audiences challenged the established views of sexuality and gender identity between two legal landmarks. Some of the works in the show are intensely personal while others spoke to a wider public, helping to forge a sense of community. It runs from April 5th to October 1st 2017 at the Tate Britain.

The programme has been been announced for this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, which includes a decent selection of LGBT-themed fare. The fest will be running from February 13th-26th, and boasts over 310 separate events and screenings of films from 38 countries. The 13th annual festival boasts 9 World and International Premieres, 65 UK Premieres and 67 Scottish Premieres. The UK Premieres include Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, Terrence Malick’s Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey, Cate Shortland’s Berlin Syndrome and Aki Kaurismäki s The Other Side of Hope.

The movies will be screening at the GFT, CCA, Cineworld and Grosvenor cinemas to host films, alongwith unique pop-up cinemas everywhere from snowy ski slopes to the Barras. It’s one of the biggest film festivals in the UK, and has a few decent LGBT flicks for punters to pick from.

So what could those interested in LGBT cinema watch? Take a look below.

Check It
CCA / Fri 24 Feb (18.15)
Fed up with being the victims of hate crimes, a group of gay and trans teens form a gang in Washington DC. Calling themselves ‘Check It’, they seem unlikely gang members at first glance. Some of the boys wear lipstick and carry handbags but they also carry knives and brass knuckles. Led by an ex-convict named Mo, this one-time group of victims have not only turned the tables on anyone trying to hurt them but are also trying to break free from the cycle of poverty and violence they grew up in. Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer’s documentary is a gritty and intimate portrait of marginalisation and gang violence in the United States.
Stranger Than Fiction / Directors Dana Flor, Toby Oppenheimer USA 2016, 1h30m, N/C 12+

Handsome Devil
GFT / Thu 16 Feb (13.00)
Handsome Devil is a terrific coming-of-age, coming-out charmer that marks a significant step up for John Butler, and features a cast of supremely talented young actors. Fionn O’Shea is a complete delight as gawky, 16 year-old Ned, a bright, artistic lad who faces his own hell on earth when he is sent to an all-boys Irish boarding school where rugby is everything. He steels himself for the loneliness, ridicule and constant insinuations about his sexuality. Everything changes with the arrival of his new roommate Conor (Nicholas Galitzine), a star player in the rugby team, and inspirational English teacher Dan Sherry (Andrew Scott). Ned and Conor bond over a mutual appreciation of cool music and an unlikely friendship blossoms.
Gala / Director John Butler Cast Fionn O’Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, Moe Dunford, Andrew Scott Ireland 2016, 1h35m, N/C 15+

Remembering the Man
CCA / Fri 24 (15.45) & Sat 25 Feb (15.30)
Recent box office success Holding the Man dramatised Timothy Conigrave’s celebrated queer memoir, telling the story of his love for high school sweetheart John Caleo at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Australia. Remembering the Man is the real deal; a drama/documentary in which a tight-knit circle of friends offer their memories of Tim and John, and a love that transcended violent opposition and illness. A lengthy audio interview recorded shortly before Tim’s death in 1994 allows him to narrate events in an elegiac tale that offers a timely reminder of the constant need to fight prejudice.
Stranger Than Fiction / Directors Nickolas Bird, Eleanor Sharpe Australia 2016, 1h23m, N/C 15+

Weirdos
GFT / Thu 16 (18.15) & Fri 17 Feb (10.45)
Veteran Canadian director Bruce McDonald (Roadkill, Hard Core Logo) reunites with award-winning playwright and screenwriter Daniel MacIvor on this big-hearted coming of age drama. Handsomely shot in black and white and set during the July 4th weekend of 1976, Weirdos follows 15 year-old Kit (Dylan Authors) and his best friend Alice (Julia Sarah Stone) as they abandon small town life to hitchhike towards a brighter future. Life on the road becomes a journey of self-discovery filled with casual encounters, home truths and conversations with Kit’s “spirit animal” – Andy Warhol.
True North: New Canadian Cinema / Director Bruce McDonald Cast Dylan Authors, Julia Sarah Stone, Molly Parker Canada 2016, 1h25m, N/C 15+

Below Her Mouth
GFT / Sat 18 Feb (20:45) & Sun 19 (11:00)
Written, directed and shot entirely with an all female production crew, April Mullen’s bold, uninhibited drama Below Her Mouth is a true rarity in its portrayal of women in film. When two women, Jasmine (Natalie Krill) and Dallas (Erika Linder), unexpectedly begin a passionate love affair, Jasmine is forced to confront the profound truth with her fiancé Rile (Sebastian Pigott). An assured and powerful film exploring the all-encompassing nature of attraction.
True North: New Canadian Cinema / Director April Mullen Cast Natalie Krill, Erika Linder, Sebastian Pigott Canada 2016, 1h32m, N/C 18+

All This Panic
CCA / Sun 19 (18:30) & Mon 20 (13:00)
Filmed over a period of three years, All This Panic is an astonishingly intimate portrait of seven teenage girls from Brooklyn, as they navigate their turbulent ‘panic’ years. Jenny Gage follows sisters Ginger and Dusty, and a small group of their friends and peers, as they take tentative steps towards adulthood. The teens share their vulnerabilities, hopes and fears for the future with surprising candor and maturity, while supporting each other through familial tensions as they make forays into their first relationships. All This Panic reveals itself to be incredibly moving and personal, as we see these young girls narrating the story of their lives.
Stranger Than Fiction / Director Jenny Gage USA 2016, 1h19m, N/C 12+