Queer Britain

Queer Britain
EstablishedMay 2022
Location2 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London
Coordinates51°32′09″N 0°07′26″W / 51.5357°N 0.1239°W / 51.5357; -0.1239
TypeMuseum
DirectorAndrew Given[1]
CuratorJennifer Shearman[2]
Websitequeerbritain.org.uk

Queer Britain is a museum of British LGBTQ history and culture located in Kings Cross, London. It is the first dedicated LGBTQ museum in the UK.[3] The museum consists of three connected galleries plus a shop and occupies the ground floor of 2 Granary Square, a building owned by the Art Fund, with office and studio space on lower ground. Admission is free.[4]

History

Queer Britain was founded in February 2018[5] by Joseph Galliano-Doig, a former editor of Gay Times, and Ian Mehrtens.[6] It was registered as a charity in September 2019.[7] Joseph was awarded an MBE for services to Heritage, to Charity, and to Diversity and Inclusion in the 2024 New Year's Honours List.[8]

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 including a filmed oral history project, Virtually Queer.[9] In summer 2019 it staged an exhibition on Chosen Family in Mercer Street Showrooms, Covent Garden.[10][11]

Queer Britain opened as a physical museum on May 5, 2022, in advance of the 50th anniversary of Britain's first gay pride march.[12] The introductory display, 'Welcome to Queer Britain', consisted of material from the museum's photography archive.[13] The first full exhibition, 'We Are Queer Britain', occupying all three galleries, opened in July.[14] The exhibition won Best Small Museum Project 2022, awarded by The Museums Association as part of their Museums Change Lives campaign.[15] When not on display, the museum's collection is housed at the Bishopsgate Institute.[16]

The museum closed in November 2025 for refurbishing, reopening in February 2026.[17] A new collections gallery was added, with collections branching off into six major themes:[17][18]

  • Resist!
  • Club Kids
  • Queer Creativity
  • Body and Mind
  • Live, Laugh, Love
  • The World Around Us

These new collections display new materials, including stories on the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre, Club Kali, the Women's liberation music movement, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the relationship between Bloomsbury group members Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington.[18][19] New special exhibitions unveiled in February 2026, titled "Queer Print" and "40 Years of BFI Flair."[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New director appointed to lead Queer Britain | Museum Association". museumsassociation.org/.
  2. ^ "OUR TEAM | Queer Britain". queerbritain.org.uk.
  3. ^ "What Should an L.G.B.T.Q. Museum Be? Approaches Vary". The New York Times, 4 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Queer British history and culture to be displayed and celebrated at new London museum". NBC News. 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Queer Britain museum 'an overdue resource'". the Guardian. 28 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Inside Queer Britain, The UK's First National LGBTQ+ Museum". HuffPost UK. 5 May 2022.
  7. ^ "QUEER BRITAIN MUSEUM LTD, Fundraising Regulator". 30 September 2025.
  8. ^ Gordon-Farleigh, Neve (29 December 2023). "New Year Honours 2024". BBC News.
  9. ^ "HISTORY 2018 Virtually Queer launch | Queer Britain". queerbritain.org.uk.
  10. ^ "HISTORY 2019 Chosen Family | Queer Britain". queerbritain.org.uk.
  11. ^ "Levi's teams with Queer Britain on new exhibition Chosen Family". Creative Review. 18 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Not one but two LGBTQ cultural spaces to open in London this spring". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 3 May 2022.
  13. ^ Hernandez, Marcus J. (10 May 2022). "UK welcomes its first LGBTQ Museum: Queer Britain". GayCities Wanderlust Blog.
  14. ^ "Queer Britain prepares to welcome visitors to King's Cross site". Museums Association. 29 April 2022.
  15. ^ "The Museums Association Museums Change Lives Awards 2023". The Museums Association, 3 November 2022.
  16. ^ "London's LGBTQ+ Museum Opens In May". Londonist. 11 April 2022.
  17. ^ a b "'London's LGBTQ+ museum lets community tell their stories'". www.bbc.com. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  18. ^ a b QX (13 January 2026). "Queer Britain Museum Reopens on 4 February 2026 Coinciding with LGBTQ History Month". QX Magazine. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  19. ^ Lee, Emma (23 February 2026). "QUEER BRITAIN REOPENS WITH NEW PROGRAMME FOR 2026". Fetch London. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  20. ^ "HISTORY 2026 New Displays Launch | Queer Britain". queerbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
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