Le Gateau Chocolat shares the inredible stories behind his three submissions to the imaginary queer museum. Bewitching baritone Le Gateau Chocolat is a one-man, larger-than-life musical phenomenon. The six-and-half foot tall, six-inch heeled, wig-clad wonder swings wildly from one end of the musical spectrum to another, from disco, opera, musicals and pop. In this interview Le Gateau talks about his first time on stage, his operaTIC foremothers, and about his extravagant collection of plants... Recorded remotely on May 10, 2021 Interview by: Roni Guetta and David Sheppeard Editing and original music by Olive Mondegreen

A flyer for the christmas special of the Big Drag Pageant the the Dome, from 2025.

Part of the 15 years of Marlborough Exhibition at Brighton Jubilee Library February 2025. The exhibition text reads: 15 Years of Marlborough Productions: A Journey of Queer Creativity and Community Since 2008, Marlborough Productions has been at the heart of Brighton’s art scene, championing intersectional LGBTQIA+ culture and fostering a vibrant community of artists and audiences. From our beginnings at The Marlborough Pub & Theatre to our current role as a national and internationally recognised company, this exhibition celebrates our history. It features just a small selection of the extraordinary people, performances and places that have contributed to our story – we only had ten panels to fill and we needed about a hundred! Images: 1. Brownton Abbey at Brighton Festival 2018, Ray Young - by Vic Frankowski We brought our Afro-futurist space church to Brighton Festival, led by a heavenly constellation of Queer Artists of Colour. 2. Brownton Abbey at ANTI Festival 2024 - TJ 2 - by Akseli Muraja Tina Hyena beams on stage as the crowd goes wild at ANTI Festival in Kuopio, Finland as part of Brownton Abbey the afrofuturistic space church themed performance party celebrating and elevating queer disabled artists of colour. 3. Lydia L’Scabies, A Queer Night at the Museum (2020) by Rosie Powell Freelance Drag artist Lydia L’Scabies captivates the room at A Queer Night at the Museum, a Queer Heritage South event at Brighton Museum.

Using three symbolic and evocative objects, Fox Fisher shares personal and political stories of their queer life in Brighton over the last two decades. Artist, film maker, author and trans campaigner, Fox Fisher is a local and national mover and shaker, their advocacy work has and continues to inspire and empower trans and queer people around the world. In this interview Fox talks about being a young student at Brighton university, about the origins of Trans Pride, and about their political commitment and activism from public to private life. Recorded remotely on August 27, 2021 Interview by: Roni Guetta and David Sheppeard Editing and original music by Olive Mondegreen

Iconic Brighton DJ duo, Wildblood and Queenie, share some stories from their queer life in Brighton. Partners in life and music, Wildblood and Queenie takes us on a journey through the gigs they’ve played, the club nights they’ve created, the ins and out of lesbian intrigue, bongos playing, radio shows, love on the scene and beyond, and their renewed commitment to being three times married. Recorded remotely on March 6, 2023 Interview by: Roni Guetta, David Sheppeard, and Rowan Rush-Morgan Editing and original music by Olive Mondegreen

A paper flyer for 'Kitty Glitter Love The Knife' clubnight at Komedia basement on 20 Oct 2017 Kitty Glitter was a queer DJ collective running events in the early 2010s. Members went on to form Church of Italo in 2023.

Brighton Lesbian and Gay Pride, 15-25 May 1992, was organised by a small group of people under the name of Pink Parasol. In the run up to the event they produced a leaflet about their plans for Pride, which included the unveiling of a Lesbian & Gay Pride Memorial in the Old Steine. The leaflet announced the unveiling on Sunday 17 May 1992, and made it sound very much like it was a done deal with the council. "Brighton Council has pledged a central site on the Old Steine and has agreed to install and maintain the memorial. The granite slabs from which it is to be made are ready for work to begin. The design and wording has been consulted on and approved. "The memorial is a celebration of our Pride over the last quarter of a century. It is dedicated to the lives of ordinary lesbians and gay men who preceded us, to ourselves, and to the future equality of those who will follow us in this life". When a group of us gathered to attend the unveiling, we were surprised so see there was only a chalk outline of the memorial drawn on the ground, with the design beautifully brought to life with flowers. I’ve been told a number of tales about why it never came to be, from outrage caused by the council donating £5,000 to Pride '92 (partly to enable disabled access in Preston Park), to objections about the Pride memorial being too close to the existing war memorial. Whatever the reason, the Pride Memorial was sadly never realised in anything more than flowers.

To mark World AIDS Day 2024, the Brighton AIDS Memorial was proud to display two embroidered quilt panels and images from the Brighton Cares AIDS Memorial Exhibition held at the Corn Exchange in 1993. This exhibition was made possible with the generous support of the LGBTQ Workers Forum.

Flyer for regular monthly queer night at Cowley Club in Brighton on the 22 October 2016

A reflection on being part of the University of Sussex’s LGBTQ+ Staff Network. Text reads: Being part of the LGBTQ+ staff network at the University of Sussex - on the Committee! It's such a strong presence here on campus with events throughout the year & i've met some wonderful friends & comrades. It's easy in this day and age to take such a thing for granted since we have so many securities now. But that just shows how far we've come! - Helena MacCormack Vice Chair & Bisexual Rep.

A memory of a visit to Brighton Pride 2006 The image text reads: "Brighton Pride 2006 memory An amazing day, walking near Preston Park, celebrating, drinking and embracing everyone. Such a sense of community, a lot of chaps, someone dressed as Elizabeth and partying long into the night. After all memory of a sense of Joy"

Social and peer support group, Sister Act, produced a monthly newsletter in the 1990s and early 2000s for and by lesbians in Cambridge and East Anglia, and this is a scan of one edition. It was a lifeline for a circulation list of 150-200 women of all ages, helping to create a genuine community for closeted gay women and out-and-proud dykes alike, at a time when their lives and concerns were much debated in parliament and the media. I was editor for a while, and lived from one women's disco to the next, meeting partners and friends who would remain in my life for decades. Nowadays I'm experiencing deja vu having to navigate the pros and cons of coming out all over again and finding a new community as a trans man, now living near Brighton.

The Amsterdam Bar, 12 Marine Parade, Brighton 2000

The Queen's Head pub in Steine Street, with its Freddie Mercury pub sign

Before social media or even the internet Freddie Bateman’s Scene 22 was the first port of call for any young queer soul rocking up wide-eyed and hopeful on Brighton’s shores. His cafe/shop /community hub Scene 22 on St James Street delivered every piece of information you could need about LGBTQI+ Brighton life via leaflets in every shape and size you could imagine. Helplines, support groups, club flyers, safer sex information, lubrication, love. Eyes were opened, blushes made, and lives changed. Thanks to a man with a mission to make LGBTQI+ Brighton better for everyone. Thanks to Freddie.