As I have furthered my research of the LGBTIQ+ history in Huddersfield, I have become aware of the fact that much of the available information focuses on gay and bi men. As a gay woman myself I was very pleased when I found out about the Sister ssshOUT group in Huddersfield. The support group meets twice a month at the women’s centre in Huddersfield and focuses on wellbeing issues and providing information for social opportunities and access to resources. I am hoping to get in touch with them to arrange an interview.
On 3rd April, famous lesbian Anne Lister turned 229, and the day was celebrated with a plaque-unveiling at Shibden Hall, near Halifax, where Anne used to live. I went along with other West Yorkshire Queer Stories volunteers to run a stall, and to get people to sign up for an interview. I also got my own tour of the hall and learnt all about Anne Lister’s life. She was a wealthy landowner who was highly educated and loved to travel the world. She is mainly famous for her coded diaries, where she wrote about her lesbian experiences in great detail. I’d never been to a historical building that had been owned by a famous lesbian, and the experience had a big impact on me, and made me wonder about the background of other historical buildings, and the invisibility of lesbians in history.
My student placement with West Yorkshire Queer Stories has ended but I have enjoyed learning about Huddersfield and hearing the stories of others so much that I plan to stay on the project as a volunteer. I’m going to be conducting more interviews, helping out with transcribing, and hopefully attending more events in the future.
Image above by Rictor Norton & David Allen
