Uncovering LGBTQ+ lives in the archive

‘Uncovering LGBTQ+ lives in the archive’ is a series of films combining puppetry, model-making, and animation created by a group of eight young people in July 2022. The project allowed the group to explore moments of LGBTQ+ history from the collection, some more well-known than others, and to interpret the documents from a 21st century perspective. They then used their reflections to inspire the narrative and artwork for their films.

This was the first young person’s project to be run onsite since 2019. The group worked with a filmmaking team led by Nigel Kellaway, as well as staff from the Education and Outreach department and record specialists.

The young people explored stories relating to individuals and ‘spaces’ which allowed them to consider wider themes such as the use of language, criminalisation, and communication through the 18th to 20th centuries. Under the guidance of staff, the young people worked with original archive documents, in some cases seeing photographs of the people and places they were researching. The group demonstrated emotional intelligence and compassion for the people whose lives they have interpreted.

The series of films can now be used by teachers and students as brief overviews or introductions to the themes explored within the films.

The following questions can be asked of each film:

• What types of documents are shown in the films?
• What do the documents reveal about what life was like for LGBTQ+ people at the time?
• What themes can you identify within the films?
• How do we view these stories today, with a contemporary perspective?
• Can you find out how the laws affecting the lives of LGBTQ+ people have changed over time? Can you explain why?
• Why are these documents kept at The National Archives?