PAUL Patrick, who has died of a lung condition aged 57, was a big-hearted maverick and one of the UK's leading activists in lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender issues (LGBT). Although much of his work was based in England - born in South Shields, he worked as a teacher for a long time in south-east London before returning to his northern roots and Burnley in 1997 - he made a lasting impact in Scotland when he founded LGBT History Month with longtime friend and colleague Sue Sanders in 2004.

PAUL Patrick, who has died of a lung condition aged 57, was a big-hearted maverick and one of the UK's leading activists in lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender issues (LGBT). Although much of his work was based in England - born in South Shields, he worked as a teacher for a long time in south-east London before returning to his northern roots and Burnley in 1997 - he made a lasting impact in Scotland when he founded LGBT History Month with longtime friend and colleague Sue Sanders in 2004.

"Through his work, Paul Patrick became an inspiration to people across the UK to become activists in LGBT equality," said LGBT History Month's Scottish Project Manager, Ann Marriott. "By raising the awareness of our histories, he's enabled us to shape our futures."

Initially modest, LGBT History Month in Scotland has grown to over 200 events nationwide, partly due to the support of the Scottish government, a contrast not lost on Patrick. His aggravation with the Westminster government's parsimonious attitude towards its English equivalent (they actually withdrew their funding after two years) was matched by his continuing anger at what he considered their lack of commitment towards outlawing homophobic bullying in schools.

His response to a guidance document on the subject issued by the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) last autumn was typically forthright: "We take the publication of this guidance as a sign from the DCSF that they are committed to the lives of LGBT people and we will hold them accountable to the highest standards. The lives and success of LGBT students and educators is dependent on their follow-up to this document."

Fergus McMillan, Chief Executive of LGBT Youth Scotland, recalls: "You couldn't miss his feistiness and passion for the work. He really wasn't satisfied. He said he'd been challenging homophobia for 25-30 years but the progress made wasn't enough, and in some areas there had been no progress at all." Despite the frustrations, Patrick never lost his passion.

Outspoken, gregarious, committed, the roll call of positions he held in the voluntary sector - mostly undertaken in his own time, when not teaching - testify to his energy and clarity of purpose. He was appointed an equal opportunities advisor in the 1970s to the then Inner London Education Authority while still a young teacher in Lewisham, and continued to advise, train and educate on these issues for the rest of his life through books, academic and governmental publications, newpapers, lectures, and videos.

An ardent fan of theatre, his school plays were also legendary. He ran innumerable after-school drama workshops and latterly found great satisfaction directing amateur productions for a group in Rossendale, Lancashire. Last October, though already ill, he directed the British amateur premiere of Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues to great acclaim. In the 1990s, he became a foster parent to one of his pupils, an experience he recounted on John Peel's Home Truths. If there was ever a man determined not to leave the world as he found it, it was Patrick. Thanks to him, the lives of many throughout the UK have been made immeasurably more tolerable.

He is survived by his mother, sister and brother.