Leamington Art Gallery seeks LBGTQ+ memories for history project

These could include memories of the gay nights held in the Assembly Rooms, revellers at Warwickshire Pride or any places in Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth and beyond that have examples of LGBTQ+ events and history.

Warwick district has a long history of LGBTQ+ links - including people given prison sentences for homosexual activity that have been uncovered by the Warwickshire County Record Office and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality group that formed in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, the student-run Women’s Journal of the University of Warwick, Cobwebs, was a champion of women’s rights over their own fertility, contraception and sexuality, and discussed topics around the identities of bisexual women. Records of some of the issues are available online as part of the Warwick University Modern Records Centre collections and highlight many parallels to modern issues.

Leamington Art Gallery is hoping to collect new objects, photos, tickets, leaflets or anything else relevant to the topic. Staff will also be using a map to record local landmarks with LGBTQ+ history and creating a timeline, which everyone is welcome to add to.

Find out more about the project at a free drop-in recording session at the art gallery on Tuesday (December 13) from 5pm to 7pm, call 01926 742700 or email [email protected]