LGBTQ+ History Month
LGBT+ History Month is a time to recognise and celebrate the lives, contributions and achievements of LGBT+ people throughout history and across all areas of life. Since the first UK LGBT+ History Month in 2005, communities have come together to highlight the richness and diversity of LGBT+ experiences and to create spaces where everyone feels safe, seen and supported.
The theme for LGBT+ History Month 2026 is Science & Innovation, recognising how these fields shape our lives, from technology and healthcare to tackling global challenges like climate change. Diverse teams are essential for developing solutions that benefit everyone, yet we often struggle to name LGBT+ scientists and innovators.
The 2026 theme for LGBT+ History Month aims to highlight the contributions of LGBT+ people, both historically and today, and to raise awareness of the individuals behind them.
LGBT+ people have historically faced issues as a result of the ways in which science has been explored and misapplied in the past, such as through the medicalisation and pathologisation of LGBT+ identities, and we still need to address this today.
Lewisham Council is proud to support community-led celebrations for LGBT+ History Month 2026 with small grants of up to £1,000.
LGBTQ+ History Month events
Rotten to the Core: A Night of Queer Disabled Art
Rotten Crip Collective
Venue: 21 Piehouse Co-Op, 213-214 Edward Place, SE8 5HD
Date and time: 19 February, 6pm-1am
An evening of queer crip performance, cabaret, music, art and celebration!
The launch of ROTTEN vol.1 [crip imaginings]
Rotten Crip Collective is a group of queer disabled artists, a physical creative meeting space for disabled, neurodiverse, crippled, D/deaf and mad people.
Open to the public, tickets on Eventbrite or at the door.
- Keep up to date through Instagram @rottencripcollective or on their website rottencripcollective.hotglue.me
Glittering Memoir: The Life and Work of John Darcy Noble
Lewisham Libraries
Venue: The Catford House
Date and time: 24 February, 7pm
John Darcy Noble (1923–2003) was a British-born curator, writer and leading authority on toys and dolls. After studying at Goldsmiths and working in costume design, he became the first toy curator at the Museum of the City of New York, transforming its collections and shaping the field.
A Brockley native, Noble left behind vivid personal reminiscences held by Lewisham Heritage, offering rare insight into his life, career and queer identity before and after 1967. Public historian Sheldon K. Goodman has explored these candid writings to share Noble’s story in his home borough for LGBTQ+ History Month 2026.
Sheldon K. Goodman is a public historian, author and museum professional, known for his work with institutions including the University of Birmingham, The Gardens Trust and the National Archives. He also leads tours across London and founded the Cemetery Club in 2013.
Refreshments will be available at The Catford House bar.
The Stage Sets Collapse
Piehouse Worker's Co-Op CIC
Venue: Piehouse Co-Op, 213-214 Edward Place, SE8 5HD
Date and time: 26 February, 6pm-10pm
‘The Stage Sets Collapse’ is an evening of readings, film and performance in which trans artists reflect on their positionality. It is not about finding a uniform narrative but rather wrestling with a disparate set of material conditions, obscuring notions of transness, claiming and performing agency and constructing realities that subvert, remember, move forward and can be celebrated. On the 26th of February we invite you to join us at Piehouse Co-Op for a multidisciplinary evening showcasing deeply personal and political works by astounding artists from our community.
Any Old Iron presents Fine and Dandy
Avant-Gardening CIC
Venue: Studio at Deptford Lounge, SE8 4RJ
Date and time:Friday 27 February, 6pm-9pm
Any Old Iron aims to shed light on the rich history of music hall and the significant queer presence that has shaped this form of entertainment over time. The project traces the evolution of music hall into variety shows and cabaret, emphasizing the contributions and stories of LGBTQ+ individuals within these traditions. To launch Any Old Iron, we will host a reading of Fine and Dandy, a groundbreaking queer play originally staged in the late 1990s. This surreal work blends elements of Jewish diaspora history, camp humour, and fantastical storytelling, offering a unique perspective on identity and performance. The reading will be delivered by its playwright, Sue Frumin, whose influential career has inspired notable writers such as Bernardine Evaristo and Joelle Taylor. This free event will take place in Deptford, a longstanding hub of creative activity for the queer community.
LGBT+ History Month Zine Workshop and Social
Calico Libraries
Venue: Manor House Library, 34 Old Road, SE13 5SY
Date and time: 21 February 12pm-4pm
Calico Libraries will host a zine-making workshop and social at Manor House Library to celebrate LGBT+ History Month. Zines have a long history for the queer community as a way of publishing outside mainstream channels which historically rejected marginalised communities. Now, they provide a way of recording the lived experiences of queer people through a variety of artistic expressions, including collage, photography, painting, drawing, life writing, poetry, and more. The zine workshop and social will be a place to honour the legacy of the queer community of Lewisham and to find a local community of other LGBTQ+ people. This event will be free to attend, open to the public, and suitable for ages 16+.
Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre / capture arts and creative projects ltd
Venue: Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre, 34 WATSONS STREET
A series of talks and documentary/film screenings about LGBTQ+ scientists, innovators and artists. Wendy Carlos, trans activist and electronic music pioneer, with a night dedicated to Queer electronica, Hammad Butt who blurred art and science focusing on HIV/AIDS in the 90's. Plus a screening of a film scored by Wendy Carlos and a documentary about her.
Dates, times and tickets:
- 30 January - Top dog / Wayne lucas and eva Dixon - Parlour Gallery exhibition PV
- 31 January, Doors 7pm / screening 8pm and Bar open 7-10pm - Plainclothes film screening
- 7 February, 7pm-10pm - Hamad Butt:art and science in the 90's - Artist talk
- 21 February,11am–1pm - Emily Witham artist workshop
- 21 February, 7pm -12am - Queertronica - A night dedicated to Wendy Carlos
- 22 February,1pm-4pm - The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith - Talk plus social / afternoon tea
- 28 February, 7pm - Heightened Scrutiny - Screening plus Q and A with The Good Law Project (UK) and EM Parry
Creative Influence: LGBTQ+ contributions to music in the South-East
Lewisham Music
Time and date: TBC
For LGBTQ+ History Month, young people from Lewisham Music will be creating a 2-hour radio special about the historic and present influence of LGBTQ+ musicians within the local music community and wider musical landscape in London. Hosted by two young local creatives, we will hear from the LGBTQ+ musicians currently leading the way in Lewisham, explore their experiences working as queer creatives in the borough, and ask how we can continue to reduce barriers for people from these communities. The show will also feature live performances from the artists. Creative Influence: LGBTQ+ contributions to music in the South-East, will be broadcast on Lewisham Music’s award-winning youth-led radio station Radio Lewisham.