The Southampton Stonewall Lecture

How does a sense of place shape ideas of queer identity, politics and community? This lecture draws on the findings of the AHRC-funded “Queer Beyond London” research project which explores LGBTQ life in four provincial cities since 1965 (Manchester, Brighton, Leeds and Plymouth). It challenges the London-centric history of queer life, activism and cultures, showing that while the four cities share similar responses to national milestones, they have had different trajectories in terms of LGBTQ activism and community-building. For over half a century urban queer identities have been tied into distinct migration patterns, place-specific types of home-making, and new sexual politics.