Focus on
The queer Victorian origins of the word 'camp'
Did you know that the word ‘camp’ was used by members of the LGBTQ+ community as early as 1868?
Identity and community
Our documents record the actions of the state, but offer glimpses of ordinary people and the communities they form based on senses of identity and belonging. They reveal stories of persecution, resistance, togetherness and action.
Stories from the collection
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Record revealed
Sarah Parker Remond’s application to become a British Citizen
Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894) fought for a more equal world as an abolitionist and suffrage supporter. Why and how did she apply for British citizenship? -
Focus on
Emily Capper and the 1934 Gresford Colliery disaster
Our records tell the story of Emily Capper's desperate campaign to recover the bodies of the victims, including that of her son. -
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'Can we be counted too?' Recognising LGBTQ+ lives in the 1991 census
Until 2021, the census did not ask for information about sexuality. One letter in our collection gives a personal perspective on why this data was needed. -
The story of
Sophia Jex-Blake, pioneer of women's medicine
Sophia Jex-Blake (1840–1912) was a physician and campaigner who fought for women’s access to university education. -
The story of
Evelyn Dove
Singer and broadcaster Evelyn Dove (1902–1987) achieved a number of firsts including, in 1925, becoming the first woman of African heritage on BBC Radio. -
Focus on
How the first women's refuge enacted change in the UK
The founding years of Chiswick Women’s Aid saw the opening of the world's first women's refuge, disputes with local government, and creating change in the UK. -
Record revealed
'Fallen' women of the real Albert Square
Who lived in the real Albert Square and what can their lives tell us about 19th-century London life? -
Record revealed
Virginia Woolf’s death duty record
Death duty records can reveal a great deal about a person’s true feelings. What can we learn about the loves and friendships of author Virginia Woolf from hers? -
Focus on
‘Not acceptable’: Gay Switchboard’s attempts to become a charity
LGBT+ Switchboard is one of the oldest telephone helplines supporting queer communities in the UK. Its journey to register as a charity was not easy. -
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A queer working-class haven: Lady Malcolm’s Servants Balls
Lady Malcolm’s elaborate Servants’ Balls allowed queer, working-class staff to forge a unique space for themselves. But these events became plagued by scandal. -
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Section 28: impact, fightback and repeal
What was the everyday reality for LGBTQ+ people in the 80s and 90s living under the infamous Section 28, and how was it eventually repealed? -
Record revealed
The WÃSÙ journal
WÃSÙ was the journal produced by the West African Students’ Union (WASU) and distributed across Europe and Africa from 1926. -
Focus on
The origins of Section 28
Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act negatively affected LGBTQ+ lives for decades. How did such a seismic piece of legislation come about? -
The story of
John Blanke
John Blanke was a trumpeter at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He is one of the earliest people of colour in England we have records about. -
Record revealed
Photographs of the British Black Panthers headquarters
These photographs, captured through police investigations, give a unique insight into the heart of the early British Black Panther movement. -
The story of
Robert Wedderburn
Robert Wedderburn (1762–1835) was a British-Jamaican radical preacher, abolitionist and writer. -
The story of
Sir Learie Constantine
Sir Learie Constantine (1901–1971) was a renowned cricketer, author, politician and persistent campaigner for racial equality and justice. -
Record revealed
Printed circular produced by the National League of the Blind
In 1920, hundreds of members of the National League of the Blind (NLB) marched 200 miles to campaign for support. This printed circular explains what happened. -
The story of
Ivor Cummings
Ivor Cummings (1913–1992) greeted the iconic arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury in 1948. He became known as the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'. -
The story of
Insaaf
Insaaf was a film made by the government, filmed partly in Urdu, to promote employment rights under the 1968 Race Relations Act. -
The story of
Ormonde, Almanzora and Windrush
Passenger lists for the ships that carried post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain can be crucial resources for people tracing their family history. -
The story of
Nancy Cunard
On the Windrush passenger list, white socialite Nancy Cunard (1896–1965) is described as a 'writer', but she was also a staunch activist for Black civil rights. -
The story of
The Caravan Club
The police raid on a secret queer nightclub in 1933 gives an insight into the lives of gay men in interwar London and their defiance in the face of persecution. -
The story of
Maud Allan
Maud Allan (1873–1956) was a celebrated West End dancer in the early 20th century until she became entangled in one of the most sensational trials of the 1920s. -
The story of
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was a tireless political activist, who led the WSPU – the militant faction of the movement for women’s suffrage. -
The story of
Shapurji Saklatvala
One of the first MPs of Indian heritage, Shapurji Saklatvala (1874–1936) was an agitator for change, which led to his surveillance by the Security Service. -
The story of
Radclyffe Hall
Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943) lived relatively openly as a lesbian in an era that condemned such relationships. Today she is an icon of LGBTQ+ literature. -
The story of
The Mangrove Nine
The trial of nine black protestors who were arrested while demonstrating in Notting Hill in the early 1970s became a public platform to criticise police racism.