Why a group exploring Sheffield's queer past needs your help
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Sandra Baker researched the city's queer past for her MA, and helped to set up the group in 2018.
The 40-year-old from Hillsborough said: "From Edward Carpenter campaigning for gay rights in the late 19th and early 20th century to the pride marches, Sheffield has a long and rich LGBTQ+ history and we want to hear your stories.
"Everyone has a story to tell."
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Hide AdSandra says there are huge amounts of research documenting people's stories from 1855 to 1957, but from 1957 it seems to stop. Recent British queer history focuses on London or, when the North is discussed, Manchester – but Sheffield has been forgotten, she believes.
She said: "Community life in Sheffield is fascinating. When people were being tried in London for being gay there was an unspoken acceptance in Sheffield if a person was a good and trustworthy worker it didn't matter what they did in their personal life.
"We want to hear from people who had relationships with men down the mines but went home to their wives, where people went for their first gay drink and where they bought their first gender-affirming clothing.
"The city is brimming with queer stories and memories – and we want to hear them.
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Hide Ad"But life isn't split into straight history and queer history; we all belong together, so we want to hear about memories from the LGBTQ+ community and find out their take on big Sheffield events and moments in time and fill in the pieces of the puzzle."
Steel City Queer History has already produced a guide from the research collated in the first year but want to expand this with more people’s memories.
If anyone would like to get involved, visit Steel City Queer History and leave your personal story to celebrate all that is queer in Sheffield. Entries must be up to 500 words – people should explain which Sheffield spot holds a personal story for them, and what they remember about it. They can be named or anonymous submissions.