Ahead of the UK’s biggest Pride event in London this June, the Museum of London Docklands will host a weekend of talks and tours to explore the history, contribution, and experiences of London’s LGBTQ+ community.
From queer pirate adventures to Lesbian east London squats, monarchs to Molly Houses, Pride and Prejudice: A Celebration of Queer History (22 -23 June) will bring to light hidden histories and share stories of love and connection, prejudice & hardship in the Docks, London and beyond.
The title of the weekend is a nod to a previous Museum of London exhibition Pride and Prejudice: Lesbian and Gay London, which opened in 1999 and was one of the first museum displays about LGBTQ+ lives in the capital. Twenty-five years on, museum staff will reflect on this and other LGBTQ+ displays, exploring the historical context and attitudes of the time, and the ongoing challenges of ‘curating queerly’.
The event will run a special talk tied to this year’s major exhibition, Fashion City, about gay Jewish designer Otto Lucas, the ‘millionaire milliner’, who helped build London’s reputation as an iconic fashion city. Despite Lucas living through a time in London when facets of his identity could be weaponised against him, he put London on the map for millinery, changing the reputation of British fashion in the mid-20th century.
In addition to the line-up of talks, the weekend will offer visitors the chance to get hands on at the free craft activities where they can make their own zines to take home, Pride pompom key rings, or love tokens to gift loved ones. They will also be able to enjoy music from LGBTQ+ artists as they craft or check out fashion themed object handling sessions in the galleries.
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