Queer Social Visits the Queer Britain Museum

Late in May, a bunch of us from LonGBoaT Wakefield – including some of our volunteers and Trustees from the Queer Social – headed down to London for a cracking day exploring LGBTQ+ history, meeting new people, and sharing some of our own stories along the way.

We kicked things off bright and early with a train from Wakefield to King’s Cross, thanks to the support of London North Eastern Railway (LNER). Massive thanks to Jake, their Community Partnerships Manager, and Richard Isaac from Northern, who helped us sort the travel. It meant we could just enjoy the day without worrying about logistics.

The Queer Social arrive into Kings Cross

Telling our own stories

On our way to London, we met up with Karen Bennett from Community Rail Lancashire. She’s putting together a book called 200 LGBTQ+ Stories in Rail for the Railway 200 celebrations – and we were chuffed to be asked to contribute. We had a little storytelling workshop, sharing moments and memories from our experiences as queer folk in and around the railways. You can find out more about Karen’s project here.

First stop: Queer Britain

Queer Britain Museum

Once we arrived, we made our way to the Queer Britain Museum at Coal Drops Yard. The museum is the UK’s first dedicated space celebrating LGBTQ+ lives and stories, and it’s an absolute gem.

One of the displays that really stood out featured Jimmy Somerville; known for his powerful voice, activism, and role in sound-tracking a generation. His work tied in with the wider history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement from the 70s and 80s; a time when queer people were standing up, coming out, and pushing back against huge odds.

There was something quite moving about seeing the stories of that era laid out so honestly – the protests, the community support during the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the music and art that carried so much of the message.

More exploring (and food, obviously)

With stories shared and brains buzzing, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Covered Market in Coal Drops Yard before jumping on the Tube to South Kensington for a wander round the Natural History Museum. Dinosaurs, gemstones, the usual wonders – always a favourite, no matter how many times you’ve been.

The group visit the Natural History Museum

To round things off, we headed back to King’s Cross for pizza at Pizza Union (highly recommend, by the way) before catching our train back up north.

All in all, it was a brilliant day out – full of laughs, stories, learning, and connection. Big thanks again to LNER and Grand Central for getting us there and back, and to everyone who made it such a memorable trip.

We’ll keep shouting about the importance of queer spaces, queer stories, and making sure everyone in our community feels seen and heard – whether that’s in a museum, on a train platform, or sat round a pizza table.