Why the V&A Gay and Lbian Tour is Essential • V&A Blog

Contents:

• FIVE PIEC OF GAY ART AT THE BRISH MM
• GAY GLASS
• MM CELEBRAT 'LGBT HISTORY MONTH' WH ARTIFACT PROVG GAYS WERE ROMAN EMPIRE - NOW TURN IT AROUND FOR A SICK SURPRISE
• WHY THE V&A GAY AND LBIAN TOUR IS ESSENTIAL

FIVE PIEC OF GAY ART AT THE BRISH MM

Jo our volunteer-led tour and disver a fascatg selectn of objects wh LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer) nnectns. Last year the UK saw an imprsive range of programmg across the cultural sector to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial crimalisatn of homosexualy England and Wal. It seems likely that more Lbian Gay Bisexual Transgenr and Queer (LGBTQ) themed projects took place last year than any year sce the passg of the Sexual Offenc Act July 1967.

Homosexualy was illegal England and Wal until July 1967.

GAY GLASS

Partly as a rult of this lonial history and the troductn of Christiany, 'homosexualy' was ma illegal many Ain untri. A Ltle Gay History: sire and diversy across the world by Richard Parkson is available om the Brish Mm Shop. The Brish Mm has gathered a llectn of objects wh LGBTQ nnectns, cludg the world’s olst known pictn of a uple havg sex – an 11, 000-year-old rved lce pebble – to be sent on a natnal pebble, lled the A Sakhri, possibly picts gay sex, as the figur portrayed are ambiguo.

Whoever rved has ensured that s shape is phallic but the genrs are not objects gog on the tour, which begs Oxford and go on to Nottgham, Bolton and Norwich, clu an ancient Greek vase pictg Sappho; etchgs of gay sex by David Hockney, spired by the poems of C P Cavafy; and a ck of rds pictg drag queens, produced Japan tourg show is an expand versn of the mm’s Dire, love, inty: Explorg LGBTQ histori display, which was staged last d tour will offer further sight to the 1AD silver drkg cup, known as the Warren Cup after the 19th-century gay Bostonian llector Ned Warren. He saw the cup as the “holy grail” of gay history bee showed the existence and acceptance of homosexualy long cup will be part of on-se tours at the Brish Mm 2019 – the 50th anniversary of John Wolfenn beg s director. No, this Mm Adventure, I’m talkg about another homosexual scene at the Mm.

A homosexual scene on a Greek vase.

MM CELEBRAT 'LGBT HISTORY MONTH' WH ARTIFACT PROVG GAYS WERE ROMAN EMPIRE - NOW TURN IT AROUND FOR A SICK SURPRISE

“Homosexual scene. An Introductn to Greek Art and A Ltle Gay History.

San Woodford’s tome has never steered me wrong wh Greek Art and Parkson’s A Ltle Gay History is the go to book for this topic, so they felt like the right choic. When I first read the label, I found the e of the word ‘homosexual’ very tertg. ” He fds ‘gay’ to be the bt f, but avoids this for ancient societi preferrg ‘same-sex sire, ’as has fewer morn overton.

WHY THE V&A GAY AND LBIAN TOUR IS ESSENTIAL

It is ltle over half a century sce homosexualy was partially crimalised England and Wal, and ’s a perd fed by both progrs and trma. When Lord Arran -sponsored the bill that end the total crimalisatn of same-sex relatns between men – after his gay brother had killed himself – his preamble was bleak. “Let me remd them that no amount of legislatn will prevent homosexuals om beg the subject of dislike and risn, or at bt of py, ”After the Sexual Offenc Act was passed 1967, nvictns of gay men for gross cency actually creased, and gay people were still characterised as would-be sexual predators and threats to children.

The 1980s HIV/Aids panmic, ravaged a generatn of gay and bisexual men, attus towards gay people harned and a moral panic culmated the passg of sectn 28, banng the “promotn” of homosexualy schools: the first anti-gay legislatn passed sce 1885. Neverthels, this perd LGBTQ+ people flourished culturally and artistilly, while om the 90s onwards, hostile public attus cmbled precipoly as anti-gay laws were stck om statute as a remr that progrs is far om lear, Bra is the grip of another moral panic, this time directed at transgenr people.