Queer Britain Announces United Kingdom’s First LGBTQ+ Museum

The LGBTQ+ community in the United Kingdom is finally getting its first-ever brick-and-mortar museum.

Queer Britain, founded in 2018 to create the country’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ museum, announced today it has taken possession of ground floor space at 2 Granary Square in Kings Cross for the new Queer Britain museum. The fully accessible building is owned by the Art Fund charity.

“It’s time the UK had an LGBTQ+ museum, for all,” Joseph Galliano, director and co-founder, Queer Britain, said in a statement. “And we are delighted to have found our first home in beautiful Granary Square with Art Fund as our first landlord.”

“I’m really excited that Queer Britain is finally going to have a space to show what we can do and that we're here for all the community, from old lesbian feminist warhorses like me to young queer folk of all genders and ethnicities,” echoed Queer Britain trustee, Lisa Power. “Queer Britain aims to tell our many and diverse histories, and now we have a home to do that from.”

Queer Britain currently stages exhibits and events online and in found spaces. They hope to have the new museum at the Kings Cross location open in the spring. Current plans call for four galleries, a workshop and education space, offices, and a gift shop. Queer Britain intends the museum to be free of charge.

 “We’re delighted to welcome Queer Britain as our new tenants,” Jenny Waldman, director of the Art Fund, said in a statement. “Their exciting proposal for the first UK museum dedicated to exploring LGBTQ+ histories, people, and ideas was warmly supported by our trustees, and we're thrilled that our beautiful building in Granary Square will be home for the first phase of the Queer Britain museum.”

Photo by Facebook/mrlucas1927

Among Queer Britain’s archives are the famed diaries from George Lucas, better known nowadays as Mr Lucas. The voluminous Mr Lucas diaries contain detailed entries about the life, opinions (often offensive by today’s standards), and sexual exploits of the discrete but sexually active gay man from the late 1940s until his death in 2014.

Photo by Facebook/mrlucas1927

His diaries provide an eye-opening account of his sexual liaisons, including with rent boys. Marc Gattis (Sherlock) read portions of the diaries for Queer Britain in 2020. Entries from the diaries can be found on a dedicated Facebook page (@mrlucas1927). Reader discretion is advised.

Queer Britain trustee Anjum Mouj said the museum will reflect the wide diversity of voices and truths from the country’s LGBTQ+ history.

“The UK is finally getting the LGBTQ+ museum it deserves, to reflect and celebrate all our exciting and wildly diverse communities, whatever their sexualities, gender identities, backgrounds, ability, or heritage,” Mouj said in a statement. “Community lives in unity.”

You can learn more about Queer Britain and the Queer Britain museum at their website (queerbritain.uk.org).