Welcome to West Yorkshire Queer Stories

From Wetherby to Wakefield, Cleckheaton to Castleford, everyone has a memory worth sharing. From 2018-2020 West Yorkshire Queer Stories collected stories about LGBTIQ+ life, from the everyday to the extraordinary. We interviewed people from across the region to make sure that LGBTIQ+ voices were captured and conserved as part of local history.
Jacqui Ong: Full Interview

We collected 200 stories from people of all ages and backgrounds, so you can hear Ian talking about Huddersfield’s famous Gemini Club in the 1980s, or Claye talking about setting up the Yorkshire trans choir in 2018. Lesbian motherhood, aversion therapy and intersex activism are just some of the topics we covered. So, dip into the clips or search for topics of interest to explore the rich history of LGBTIQ+ life in West Yorkshire. We hope you enjoy listening to the clips as much as we enjoyed recording them.

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Coming out to your grandma

Coming out to your grandma

Emily recalls her grandmother's response when she came out to her as lesbian and the way her grandmother saw her marriage as comparable to a traditional heterosexual one.

Duration 03:28
Coming out again and again

Coming out again and again

Gay couple Stuart and Mike talk about assumptions made by colleagues in the workplace, and how coming out is an ongoing process rather than a one-time deal.

Duration 02:16
A goth on the gay scene

A goth on the gay scene

Andi remembers going out to bars and clubs in 1980s Leeds... and fitting in at some more than others!

Duration 02:09
Queer Spirit Over Orlando

Queer Spirit Over Orlando

Bruce describes his reaction to the Orlando nightclub shooting of 2016, which led him to create 'Queer Spirit Over Orlando', an artwork 'intended for healing'.

Duration 01:50