About

This project will explore forgotten or neglected histories of the LGBTQ+ community in relation to London transport and contribute to current debates around contemporary collecting as a tool for empowering communities.

The 1970s and 80s marked a significant period of change for the LGBTQ+ community in London with the partial decriminalization of male homosexuality in 1967, the advent of Pride and the Gay Liberation Front in the early 1970s, the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s and the passage of S.28 in 1988. The London public transport system occupies a significant place in the practical, social and cultural lives of Londoners and yet there has been little scholarly work to bring these two histories together.

The London Transport Museum (LTM) aims to ‘explore the powerful link between transport and the growth of London, its culture and society since 1800’. Considering its commitment to diversity and inclusivity throughout its activities and organisation LTM has identified a gap in its collections on LGBTQ+ experiences in the 1970s and 80s. Adopting a mixed methodology encompassing archival research, oral histories and contemporary collecting project, this doctorate will address the current silence of the archive, enriching LTM’s collections and providing context for their contemporary displays. It will also contribute to the growing debates around the ethics, power dynamics and responsibilities museums face when it comes to collecting linked to contemporary experience.