Queer in Brighton helped the widest possible audience to learn about, engage with and better understand, the cultural heritage of Brighton and Hove’s LGBTQ+ community, as well as allowing the community themselves to celebrate and make visible their previously hidden heritage.

A collection of oral histories was created, inspired by existing archive material and informed by learning from workshops. Interviews were professionally recorded and captured participants’ different histories, memories and experiences. Taking inspiration from photo booth portraits, which are images usually associated with official identification, participants recreated their own photo booth with a final portrait made on the streets of Brighton. The project also delivered a number of live-sharing events at various locations, using theatre, and stand up and performance poetry to share the city’s LGBTQ+ cultural heritage with the wider public. 

“This project began life as an oral history project and grew into a fantastic journey of discovery for everyone involved.”