Brisbane Pride History Project to preserve and share our LGBTQIA+ history

A new initiative launched by Brisbane Pride will uncover, preserve, and share the stories, objects and experiences that tell Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ stories. Got something at home that helps tell our story?

Brisbane Pride is calling on the community to help ensure its stories are not lost.

The Brisbane Pride History Project will be publicly launched at Brisbane Powerhouse on Brisbane Pride Fair Day.

The project will create a living and evolving record of Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ history. It will include oral histories, community collecting, digital storytelling and supporting LGBTQIA+ collection development at public museums, libraries and archives.

Brisbane Story bridge lit up in rainbow lights — Brisbane Story Bridge lit up in rainbow lights.

“Our community has an extraordinary history, but so much of it is hidden away in cupboards, boxes, photo albums and personal collections,” Brisbane Pride President James McCarthy said.

“A photograph, a poster, a piece of clothing, a letter or a piece of Pride memorabilia might seem like an everyday object, but together these things tell the story of who we are, where we have come from and how our community has changed.”

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Project to launch on Brisbane Pride Fair Day

The launch of the Brisbane Pride History Project will take place during a special panel discussion, Preserving Pride on Fair Day.

A dedicated Brisbane Pride History page on the Brisbane Pride website will also launch at the event, providing a public home for the project and a way for the community to engage with its development.

The event on Saturday, October 24. Setting an even bigger day of Pride with Brisbane Pride’s Rally, March and Fair Day all coinciding with the city’s annual queer arts festival launch and Melt’s River Pride Parade.

Preserving Pride will bring community members into conversation with researchers and collecting professionals to explore why LGBTQIA+ history matters, what should be preserved and how communities can have a say in the way their histories are collected and interpreted.

The panel will also encourage people to consider whether they hold photographs, documents, posters, garments, memorabilia, digital material or other objects that could help tell Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ story.

Join Brisbane Pride for Preserving Pride on Fair Day

History is about more than collecting objects

“This project is about preserving the people and the stories behind the objects,” McCarthy said. “It’s about the activism, friendships, celebrations, struggles, creativity and community spaces that have shaped LGBTQIA+ life in Brisbane.”

“We want to make sure future generations can discover and understand this history, rather than having important parts of our story disappear.”

The Brisbane Pride History Project will develop through ongoing community participation, with the ambition of building stronger connections between LGBTQIA+ communities and collecting institutions and identifying material that could be preserved in public collections.

“Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ history belongs to the community,” McCarthy said, “And the community should have a central role in deciding what is remembered and how it is remembered.”