Queer Britain on Activism and Social Change
by Jennifer Shearman, Head of Programme and Collection at Queer BritainSome 40 odd years ago the spot where Queer Britain sits now at 2 Granary Square would have looked very different. What is now home to tidy public spaces, UAL's Central Saint Martins campus, a large Waitrose and Coal Drops Yard shopping complex was once a much more messy and queer affair.
Some 40 odd years ago the spot where Queer Britain sits now at 2 Granary Square would have looked very different. What is now home to tidy public spaces, UAL's Central Saint Martins campus, a large Waitrose and Coal Drops Yard shopping complex was once a much more messy and queer affair.
Activism in the 1980s
The 80s was a pivotal decade in LGBTQ+ history with the start of the decade seeing the first cases of HIV, which would become a global epidemic disproportionately affecting gay and bisexual men. The latter half of the decade would see the rollout of Section 28, a piece of homophobic legislation that prevented local governments ‘promoting homosexuality’ essentially censoring the existence of LGBTQ+ lives within educational and local government settings leading to devastating consequences for queer people across the UK.
During this time there was significant activity within the community from activism to art-making; there was an urgent need to come together, to create, and to resist the oppressive contexts that were once again converging around queer life. Camden and King's Cross were home to a significant part of the energy that defined this moment. In 1982 Camden Lesbian Centre first opened, throughout the decade legendary pub The Bell was the venue of choice for dozens of queer icons, Electric Ballroom hosted the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners Pits and Perverts fundraiser in 1984, and Scala frequently showcased films by LGBTQ+ auteurs like Derek Jarman and John Waters.
Queer Britain
It's a complicated thing to take up residency in a place where queer and marginalised life has often been priced out, and where the grassroots, activist organising that defines so much of recent LGBTQ+ history might struggle to take place. It is however through this lens that the urgency of our work at Queer Britain might be seen most clearly. As the UKs first bricks and mortar LGBTQ+ history museum we want to ensure queer stories, like the story of Kings Cross, are not lost. We want to ensure that these stories are preserved, recorded, and made available for generations to come. We want to support younger generations in learning about their queer predecessors and allies who secured so many of the rights that we have today, and make sure that we as a nation recognise that the work towards queer liberation is not yet done.
Our work at Queer Britain in preserving LGBTQ+ history takes many forms. We hold a collection of 100s of items which includes badges, banners, placards, letters, paintings, photographs and textiles. We hold community residencies which focus on underrepresented groups within our community and support them to develop their creative practices as well as contribute to our curatorial programme. We present displays and exhibitions which celebrate the diversity, resilience, and beauty of our community, and we act as a place for LGBTQ+ people from all walks of life to come together. To be positioned in a borough and location imbued with activist LGBTQ+ history is a privilege and a responsibility that we do not take lightly. We hope that as we grow we might reveal and share more queer stories from Camden to inspire our audiences and support our community in continuing to advocate for ourselves and each other.
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