Beautifully Proud Exhibition 2024 – Past and Present LGBT+ Figures in Somerset
Tuesday 25 June – Saturday 29 June 2024
This exhibition showcases the histories of gay men, gay women, and the neurodiverse community, through stories, articles and an interactive activity designed to showcase the annecodes of present day individuals within the LGBT+ Community who are living locally within North Somerset and the wider areas.
Many of the stories featured are of individuals local to North Somerset and are past and present.
North Somerset LGBT+ Forum has researched and collated 4 stories of local lesbian women dating as far back as the 1800’s, one of whom resided in the neighbouring town of Clevedon.Liz Kelly – Bridging The Gap Together! & Charity Volunteer from the North Somerset LGBT+ Forum, has researched and collated a total of 6 stories and articles, all exploring the link between the neurodivergent and LGBT+ communities.
Director of Real Southwest Community Interest Company which runs Proud Bar, has researched and collated 4 stories of gay men in Somerset, one of whom is Frankie Howerd – a popular celebrity of stage and screen between the years of 1960 and 1990 who lived in Wavering Down, a house in the village of Cross, Somerset, under the Mendip Hills.
Interactive Activity – Place Your Pride
There will also be an interactive and inclusive exhibition piece for visitors to the museum to tell their stories and put themselves on the map. Visitors to the exhibition can put themselves on the map, through writing about their local experiences, either being an external part of the LGBTQIA+ community, or their local experiences of being within the LGBTQIA+ in North Somerset. These experiences can be written on small note cards provided, and hung on a Rainbow Tree.
