Queer in Brighton: exploring LGBT+ heritage

Queer in Brighton: exploring LGBT+ heritage

LGBTQ History Club
A presentation by John Walker & Darren Jensen about the history of the deaf community in Brighton and Gay Sign Variation.

Sharing Heritage

Kemptown
Brighton and Hove
Marlborough Productions CIC
£9900
Marlborough Productions CIC created an LGBT+ History Club to explore Brighton’s LGBT+ heritage and wider changes in social attitudes.

Section 28, enacted in 1988 and not repealed until 2003, created legal constraints on the ability of local authority-funded organisations to discuss LGBT+ issues. Amongst other things, this impacted the ability of many museums and heritage organisations to collect and interpret LGBT+ heritage.

Marlborough Productions CIC, which runs a LGBT+ theatre in Brighton, wanted to redress the gaps in the archives which this caused, and increase public understanding of Brighton and Hove’s heritage. This includes raising awareness of the campaign against Section 28 which took place in Brighton.

A grant of £9,900 allowed volunteers to receive archive training, visit the Hall-Carpenter archive and arrange talks on themes relevant to LGBT+ heritage, including Black, Asian and minority ethic representation in Brighton and deaf gay culture.

An exhibition about Section 28 was held at the Marlborough Theatre, and then toured a youth centre and a sixth form college.

Through this project, the organisation has attracted a core of members who will continue the work, exploring the history of the LGBT+ community in Brighton and Hove.

For more information, please visit the Queer in Brighton website