Queer Britain is a museum of
British LGBTQ history and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
located in
Kings Cross,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. It is the first dedicated LGBTQ museum in the UK. The museum consists of three connected galleries plus a shop and occupies the ground floor of 2
Granary Square
Granary Square is a large open space in the London Borough of Camden. Comparable in size to Trafalgar Square, it is part of the larger King's Cross Central development. It has been cited as an example of a privately owned public space in London. ...
, a building owned by the
Art Fund
Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...
, with office and studio space on lower ground. Admission is free.
History
Queer Britain was founded in February 2018
by Joseph Galliano, a former editor of ''
Gay Times
''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''Gay Times Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand established in 1975. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company now includes content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...
'', and Ian Mehrtens. It was registered as a
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* Ch ...
in September 2019.
Exhibitions
Prior to gaining its own location, Queer Britain staged occasional exhibitions in temporary locations. In 2018 it staged an exhibition ''Our Naked Skin'' in collaboration with the
Salisbury Arts Centre
Salisbury Arts Centre is a venue for theatre, music, dance, comedy, family shows, films, exhibitions, and workshops in Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It is run by Wiltshire Creative, a charity which provides opportunities for members of t ...
including a filmed
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people w ...
project, Virtually Queer. In summer 2019 it staged an exhibition on ''Chosen Family'' in
Mercer Street Showrooms,
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
.
Queer Britain opened as a physical museum on May 5, 2022, in advance of the 50th anniversary of Britain's first
gay pride march. The introductory display, Welcome to Queer Britain, consisted of material from the museum's photography archive. The first full exhibition, We Are Queer Britain, occupying all three galleries, opened in July. The exhibition won Best Small Museum Project 2022, awarded by The Museums Association as part of their Museums Change Lives campaign. When not on display, the museum's collection is housed at the
Bishopsgate Institute
Bishopsgate Institute is a cultural institute in the Bishopsgate Without area of the City of London, located near Liverpool Street station and Spitalfields market. The institute was established in 1895. It offers a cultural events programme, ...
.
See also
*
List of museums in London
A flow chart of London's museums
This is a list of museums in London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. It also includes university and non-profit art galleries. As of 2016, there were over 250 registered art institutions ...
*
Schwules Museum
The Schwules Museum (English: Gay Museum) in Berlin, Germany, is a museum and research centre with collections focusing on LGBTQ+ history and culture. It opened in 1985 and it was the first museum in the world dedicated to gay history.
The mu ...
References
External links
*
‘This is for everyone!’: inside Britain’s first ever LGBTQ+ museum(
Owen Jones
Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) is a British newspaper columnist, Pundit, political commentator, journalist, author, and Left-wing politics, left-wing activist. He writes a column for ''The Guardian'' and contributes to the ''New Statesman'' a ...
for
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
)
Why the UK Needs a LGBTQ+ Museum(Interview with Joseph Galliano by Sophie Willkinson for
Vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or Habit (psychology), habit generally considered immorality, immoral, sinful, crime, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refe ...
)
{{LGBT
2018 establishments in the United Kingdom
Museums established in 2022
Museums in London
LGBT museums and archives
Sexuality in the United Kingdom
LGBT history in the United Kingdom
LGBT culture in the United Kingdom
Kings Cross, London
Charities based in London