UK’s first LGBTQ Museum to open in London in May
Queer Britain director and co-founder, Joseph Galliano has said it's "the start of something beautiful."
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Queer Britain
The UK’s first LGBTQ national museum is set to open on 5 May, it’s been announced.
After moving into its first physical home at Granary Square in Kings Cross in January, Queer Britain announced plans to open to the public in time for Spring.
Following a four-year search for a space, Queer Britain was gifted the use of Granary Square by the owners, The Arts Fund.
“A hugely important step”
Queer Britain director and co-founder, Joseph Galliano, says of the opening: “We are so proud to welcome people into Queer Britain’s space for the very first time. This represents a hugely important step, as the UK opens the doors of its own national LGBTQ+ museum; the start of something beautiful.
“We welcome all feedback from our visitors and see this opening before our debut exhibition as a real opportunity to connect with the public and what they want from the Queer Britain space so that over time we can truly shift and evolve.”
The space, located on the ground floor will be inclusive and free of charge that will be “an essential place for all regardless of sexuality or gender identity, to find out about the culture they have been born into, have chosen, or seek to understand.”
Main gallery space (Photo: Queer Britain)
Exhibits will kick off with ‘Welcome to Queer Britain’, a small, temporary collection of photographs and artifacts from the Queer Britain archive. This will be curated by art, design and LGBTQ+ history curator for Historic Royal Palaces, Matthew Storey.
“It has been amazing to follow the journey of Queer Britain from a first idea to the opening of the UK’s first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ people. It has been an honour to curate the opening display that showcases Queer Britain’s achievements so far,” says Matthew.
He continues: “I hope that the photographs chosen reflect the rich diversity of the LGBTQ+ community past and present, as we look to the future of this important new museum.”
Main gallery space (Photo: Queer Britain)
This will be open for eight weeks (until 4 July) and will act as an appetiser ahead of the museum’s first full-scale exhibit later in the Summer.
‘Welcome to Queer Britain’ will be joined by artwork from the two winners of Queer Britain’s Madame Prize, Sadie Lee and Paul Harfleet.
A campaign to establish the UK’s first LGBTQ museum was started in 2018 and hoped for the museum to open in 2021.
Attitude’s new-look March/April issue is out now.
