Events – OutStories Bristol

7 Feb 2022 – research & oral history team meeting

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Jan 232022

This meeting is to develop ideas to reinvigorate our activities, e.g.:

Research LGBTQ+ sub-groups and the stories of local organisations.
Form a group of volunteers to explore Bristol Archives and other local resources.
Revitalise oral history gathering; train new interviewers.
Make our audio recordings more accessible.
Add these stories to the OutStories website and ‘LGBT+ Life’ map.
Make better use of social media.

Monday 7th February 2022, 6pm-7:30pm
Whether in-person or zoom not yet decided

If you wish to participate, contact us via this webform or email contact@outstoriesbristol.org.uk.
We will include you in the meeting invite with details.

16 Feb 2022 – An Anglo-American love story

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Jan 152022

Two men in open-necked shirts walking along a street and laughing

Courtesy: American Museum in Britain

In this online talk, Bristol historian Andrew Foyle tells the story of a remarkable gay couple and the museum they founded – the American Museum & Gardens in Bath.

Dallas Pratt was the grandson of a US oil magnate with a thirst for learning and access to a vast fortune. John Judkyn was a middle-class Midlander, furniture restorer and antique dealer with impeccable taste.

From their chance meeting in 1937 until John’s tragic early death, their love and lives embodied a passion for collecting which inspired them to create the American Museum in Britain at Claverton Manor near Bath.

Wednesday 16th February 2022, 7pm to 8pm

This free online talk is hosted by Bristol’s M Shed Museum in partnership with the American Museum & Gardens and OutStories Bristol.

Pre-booking is essential. For full details and to book your ticket click this link to M Shed’s website.

Although it is free, M Shed would be grateful if you make a donation when booking.

February 2022 – LGBT History Month in the West

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Jan 072022

February is LGBT History Month!

Bristol’s M Shed Museum in conjunction with OutStories Bristol are presenting a series of exciting online talks to celebrate our achievements and stories. These free talks will be held over Zoom. Pre-booking is essential.

Saturday 12th February 2022, 11am to 12 noon
Free online talk: From China to UK, Qiuyan Chen’s journey as a LGBTQ+ activist
What’s the situation for LGBTQ+ people in China? How do queer Chinese rethink their intersectional identities? How can the community mobilise to promote cross-cultural connections?

Wednesday 16th February 2022, 7pm to 8pm
Free online talk: An Anglo-American love story
Bristol historian Andrew Foyle tells the story of a remarkable gay couple, Dallas Pratt and John Judkyn, and the museum they founded – the American Museum & Gardens in Bath.

Thursday 17th February 2022, 1pm to 2pm
Free online talk: Allan Gordon, a ship’s boy
Norena Shopland tells the extraordinary story from 1902 of a 15-year-old sailor, Allan Gordon, who was arrested in Bristol when it was discovered they were female.

But what was the real reason for his arrest? The press were determined to find out just who Allan was and why they had gone to sea.

Thursday 24th February 2022, 7pm to 8pm
Free online talk: Girls on stage
Cheryl Morgan takes us on a tour of some of the queerest moments of theatre with men taking female parts in plays from Classical Greece through to Shakespeare and beyond.

What did this cross-dressing mean to those who performed these roles – and to those who watched them. Has the theatre always been gay? Or trans?

Other events in the region for LGBTQ+ History Month:

Thursday 3rd to Saturday 5th February 2022, 2:30pm/7:30pm Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Theatre: The Beat of Our Hearts
A tender and poignant exploration of loneliness and belonging as experienced by LGBTQIA+ people.

Saturday 19th February 2022, 2pm-3pm Online
Talk: Same Sex Love, 1700–1957: History and Research Sources for Family Historians
Gill Rossini discusses the challenges of researching same sex relationships in family history.

Saturday 19th February 2022 Arnolfini, Bristol
Documentary film: Rebel Dykes
A rabble-rousing documentary set in 1980s post-punk London. The unheard story of a community of dykes who met doing art, music, politics and sex, and how they went on to change their world.

See the LGBT+ History Month website for more events around the country.

12 Feb 2022 – From China to UK, Qiuyan Chen’s journey as a LGBTQ+ activist

Events, LGBT History Festival Comments Off

Dec 242021

Qiuyan Chen

What’s the situation for LGBTQ+ people in China? How do queer Chinese rethink their intersectional identities, especially during the pandemic in the UK? How can the community mobilise to promote cross-cultural connections?

Qiuyan Chen is a passionate LGBTQ+ activist and artist. Born and raised in Mainland China, Qiuyan came to UK in 2018 and is now a London School of Economics (LSE) Gender Alumni and co-curated the 2021 Queer Chinese Community Art Festival. She initiated campaigns in China which called for equality: ‘Say No to Homophobic Textbooks’ and ‘All Teachers out for LGBTQ+’.

Saturday 12th February 2022, 11am to 12 noon

This free online talk is hosted by Bristol’s M Shed Museum in partnership with OutStories Bristol.

Pre-booking is essential. For full details and to book your ticket click this link to M Shed’s website.

Although it is free, M Shed would be grateful if you make a donation when booking.

17 Feb 2022 – Allan Gordon, a ship’s boy

Events, LGBT History Festival Comments Off

Dec 242021

Allan Gordon

In 1902 a 15-year-old sailor, Allan Gordon, was arrested in Bristol on a charge of ‘wandering about without visible means of subsistence’.

This was odd because Allan’s ship had only just docked and he was collecting his wages at the Board of Trade offices so was neither wandering about nor without subsistence. So, what was the real reason for his arrest?

When the ship’s crew had to undergo a compulsory medical check, Allan had refused and was then ‘compelled to admit her sex’. Once the press got hold of the story, they were determined to find out just who Allan Gordon was and why they had gone to sea.

Speaker: Norena Shopland, an author/historian who specialises in LGBT+ history and Welsh heritage.

Thursday 17th February 2022, 1pm to 2pm

This free online talk is hosted by Bristol’s M Shed museum in partnership with OutStories Bristol.

Pre-booking is essential. For full details and to book your ticket click this link to M Shed’s website.

Although it is free, M Shed would be grateful if you make a donation when booking.

24 Feb 2022 – Girls on stage

Events, LGBT History Festival Comments Off

Dec 242021

Woodblock print of male actor in flowing gown performing a female character in kabuki theatre

Bristol Museums

From Classical Greece through to Shakespeare and beyond, restrictions on women appearing in the theatre have resulted in men taking female parts in plays.

What did this cross-dressing mean to those who performed these roles, and to those who watched them. Has the theatre always been gay? Or trans?

Cheryl Morgan takes us on a tour of some of the queerest moments of theatre, including some of the latest research about the people who played female roles for Shakespeare.

Thursday 24th February 2022, 7pm to 8pm

Speaker: Cheryl Morgan, formerly co-chair of OutStories Bristol and a regular speaker on the LGBTQ+ History Month circuit.

This free online talk is hosted by Bristol’s M Shed museum in partnership with OutStories Bristol.

Pre-booking is essential. For full details and to book your ticket click this link to M Shed’s website.

Although it is free, M Shed would be grateful if you make a donation when booking.

Image: Actor Segawa Kikunojo III as Fox Okiku, 1782 by Katsukawa Shunsho (1726-1793).
Japanese woodblock print, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.