News / LGBTQ+ History
Revealing the ‘hidden’ lives of LGBTQ+ Bristolians across the centuries
The forgotten stories of LGBTQ+ people in Bristol across the centuries are being celebrated in a series of talks this winter.
Topics for the day-long event at M Shed range from the search for ancient trans Celts and a look at the role of butts in art to an exploration of lesbian novelist Mary Renault, who once lived on Charlotte Street in Clifton.
OutStories Bristol is behind the events, with those giving the free talks including local historians, academics and educators.
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The volunteer community history group said day aims was to shine a light on LGBTQ+ people in Bristol, celebrating their struggles and successes in life.
These are the events taking place:
- 11.10am – 11.15am, ‘Welcome’ by hosts Chloe Little and Marek Barden, trustees of Outstories Bristol
- 11.15am – 11.55am, H.H. Gore – Bristol’s 19th century gay Christian socialist solicitor by Mike Richardson, Bristol Radical History Group
- 12.05pm – 12.45pm, ‘Novelist Mary Renault’s Bristol and The Charioteer’ by Jonathan Rowe, OutStories Bristol
- 12.55pm – 1.35pm, ‘In search of Trans Celts’, Cheryl Morgan by trans history specialist and diversity advisor
- 2pm – 2.40pm, ‘The Gender Exhibition’ by Helen McConnell Simpson and Steve Bradley, Bristol Museums
- 2.50pm – 3.30pm, ‘Museum Bums: a cheeky look at butts in art and historical documents’, Mark Small and Jack Shoulder, Museum Bums
- 3.40pm – 4.20pm, ‘A Sinkhole of Vice and Infamy: Transportation for Sodomy in 1840s Bristol’, Andrew Foyle, social historian and member of OutStories Bristol
Bristol has a proud history of LGBTQ+ stories but much of it is hidden from the mainstream – photo: Rob Browne
OutStories Bristol volunteer Chris Leigh said: “We are a community group that exists to tell the story of LGBTQ+ people, places and events in the Bristol region over the centuries.”
“This LGBTQ+ History Day at M Shed tells some of those stories. They remind us that today’s freedoms are very recent and owe their origins to a long history of struggle. Through telling these stories we acknowledge the hitherto hidden lives of our forebears and celebrate their triumphs.
“We hope young people will discover that they are beneficiaries of a rich heritage and we inspire them to live with pride in our past. ”
LGBTQ+ History Month 2024 takes place at the M Shed on February 24 from 11am to 5pm. Entrance is free and booking is not required. For more information, visit www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed/whats-on/lgbtq-history-month-2024
Main photo: Betty Woolerton
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