“Lest the opponents of the new bill think that a new freedom, a new privileged class has been created,” he declared. When Lord Arran co-sponsored the bill that ended the total criminalisation of same-sex relations between men – after his gay brother had killed himself – his preamble was bleak. It is little over half a century since homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales, and it’s a period defined by both progress and trauma. At a time when the community is under attack, we need it more than ever. Queer Britain in north London is a bold attempt to celebrate queer history in all of its forms.
Inside Britain’s first ever LGBT+ museum (By Owen Jones) A Gay Pride demonstration at the Old Bailey, in 1977, one of the images exhibited at the Queer Britain museum. Photograph: Evening Standard / Getty Images
