February 2023
Throughout February, Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) will celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with a season of events for adults and children. RMG will work with members of the LGBTQ+ community and draw from RMG’s own collection to celebrate and reflect on LGBTQ+ lives throughout history.
For more information visit: www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/lgbtq-history-month
SPECIAL EVENTS
Out at Sea
Join us for a festival celebrating LGBTQ+ maritime history through the ages, organized in collaboration with local partners Queercircle and Bijou Stories. Take part in love letter workshops, storytelling sessions, and interactive performances including ShayShay’s ‘Quest for the Treasure Chest’. Also on display will be a series of animations telling the stories of families from RMG’s LGBTQ+ Family in Residence programme.
Date: 18 February 2023
Time: 11.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum
Admission: Free
Fierce Queens
Welcome back to our annual late takeover to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month. This year we are setting sail and moving venues to land on the Cutty Sark, a tall ship dating to 1869. Join us for an immersive experience on board with different activities on each level of the ship including London’s finest drag and cabaret artists, featuring gender diverse performances, queer history treasure hunts and much more.
Dates: 24 February 2023
Time: 19.00 – 23.00
Age: Suitable for ages 18 and over
Location: Cutty Sark
Admission: Adult £16 | Student £12 | Member £14
www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/lgbtq-history-month
SAILING OUT
Explore and celebrate LGBTQ+ histories from the Museum’s collection with all the family during the February half-term break:
Constructing Costume
Be inspired by Queen Elizabeth I and how she used costume and image to show the world how she wanted to be seen. Construct your own costume hats, including symbols to show off your identity.
Date: 12 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Rainbow Merfolk
Merfolk have become a symbol for some members of the LGBTQ+ community and their image can be found around the museum. Create your own rainbow merfolk, using the colours of the pride flag, before heading around the museum to see if you can spot any merfolk in the collection.
Date: 13 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Maritime Marvels
Find out more about heroes from the LGBTQ+ maritime community and work with other families to create a throne for them. Create your own badge for your hero to add to the magnificent throne to celebrate community.
Date: 14 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Colourful Creatures
Alexander von Humboldt was a hugely successful geographer and naturalist who made discoveries of amazing creatures and geographical features. Find out more about Humboldt’s life and make your very own rainbow-coloured Humboldt squid to take home.
Date: 15 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Rainbow Fish
Inspired by the colours of the pride flag, create your own magnificent rainbow fish decoration. Hang your decoration up at home and watch the rainbows appear.
Date: 16 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Magnificent Mary
Discover the magnificent Mary Lacey and practice your own shipwright skills in this story and craft session.
Date: 17 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
Fly that Flag
Come along and create a rainbow flag during this workshop celebrating community and allyship with the LGBTQ+ community.
Date: 19 February 2023
Times: 11.00 – 13.00 | 14.00 – 16.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Learning Space
Admission: Free
www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/learning-space/february-half-term-sailing-out
BEYOND LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH
LGBTQ+ Family Network
A safe space for local LGBTQ+ families to meet one another, get involved in creative activities for all ages and explore the stories within the collection.
Date: Monthly
Time: 10.00 – 12.00
Age: Suitable for all ages
Location: National Maritime Museum, Group space
Admission: Free
www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/lgbtq-family-network
Fierce Royals Audio Guide Tour
Drag king and historian Christian Adore leads listeners on a personal audio tour of the Queen’s House, sharing just some of the hidden LGBTQ+ stories contained within its galleries. Along the way, he will introduce the performers and artists that haven taken part in RMG’s annual Fierce Queens event, allowing them to share their own experiences of representation and inclusivity in the historic space. All that is needed for the tour is a phone and the Smartify app.
Dates: Daily
Times: 10.00 – 17.00
Location: Queen’s House, Greenwich
Admission: Free
www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house/attractions/fierce-royals-lgbtq-audio-guide
ONLINE RESOURCES
Discover Highlights from Last Year’s LGBTQ+ Family Residency
In January and February 2022, Aden, Dylan, Julia and Laura became the National Maritime Museum’s first LGBTQ+ Family in Residence. During their residency, they worked with artist Jenny Staff to create a family-friendly workshop for Out at Sea, our annual LGBTQ+ family festival. From exploring the Museum’s collections to making a rainbow boat, discover some of their highlights from the project.
www.rmg.co.uk/plan-your-visit/families/lgbtq-family-residence-national-maritime-museum
Tito Bone’s Favourite Things
Tito Bone is a blind, non-binary, bisexual drag king. Spend some time with Tito as they audio describe their way through some of their favourite things at the National Maritime Museum. You’ll get glitter, fabulousness and a bit of insight into what it means to be a human existing at the intersection of the disability and LGBTQ+ culture.
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/tito-bones-favourite-things
Breaking the Spell with Bird la Bird
In a queer rebuff to the Queen in a ruff, Bird La Bird will break the spell of monarchical magic and invite the audience to look away from the figurehead to find queer history. Featuring composer and artist The Mollusc Dimension.
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/breaking-spell-bird-la-bird
How to Make a Rainbow Badge
Badges, pins, ribbons and medallions tell a story about the person wearing them.
There are many in the National Maritime Museum’s collection. Some are awards, others are used for identification. Learn how to make your own colourful badge with step-by-step instructions.
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/how-make-rainbow-badge
True Colours: Trailblazing Transgender Service in the British Military
Caroline Paige reveals the untold story of what it meant to be transgender in the British military before and after permissive LGBT service, the highs and the lows, in peacetime and in war.
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/true-colours-trailblazing-transgender-service-british-military
Queer Histories in the Navy
As part of LGBTQ+ History Month 2016, author and LGBT/gender historian, Jo Stanley wrote a blogpost discussing queer history in the navy.
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/queer-histories-navy
Queer Histories in the Queen’s House
Royals, courtiers and complex relationships – what can we learn from exploring the lives of those who loved at the Queen’s House?
www.rmg.co.uk/stories/blog/queer-histories-queens-house
GENERAL INFORMATION
The National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Queen’s House, and Cutty Sark operate under the banner of Royal Museums Greenwich.
General admission to the National Maritime Museum is free, but we recommend that visitors book their tickets online in advance. This helps us spread visits out throughout the day, and ensures sites remain safe for all.
All events included here are free of charge to all visitors unless stated.
For updated information prior to visit please visit our web site: www.rmg.co.uk or phone: 020 8858 4422.