Learn more about the project set to queer Wiltshire
BY FRIDAY SCHOEMAKER, IMAGE BY PHOTOCOSMA
There is a common misconception that there are few queer people in the countryside. While many LGBTQIA people gravitate towards cities, queer identities and stories can be found across rural areas like Wiltshire. Being queer in Wiltshire can be an uncomfortable, lonely and scary experience at times. Queer representation and visibility are scarce and LGBTQIA community spaces are practically non-existent. I cannot describe the joy I feel whenever I do see another visibly queer person walking down the street.
I work as a Project Officer at the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes, a small town in Wiltshire. When I first started working at the Museum, I enquired whether we had any queer stories in our archives, and was told there was no record of any. With over a million objects spanning thousands of years of history, I knew there had to be something. This is when I decided to start queering our museum.
In 2024, I ran the Queer in Wiltshire: Queering Wiltshire project, a pilot LGBTQIA heritage project supported by Wessex Museums. I explored our archives and discovered that many famous queer figures had links to Wiltshire, including lesbian icon Anne Lister (yes, the Gentleman Jack) and Virginia Woolf. LGBTQIA stories like these can be found across Wiltshire, in museums, archives and heritage spaces, and are just waiting to be uncovered.
For the project, I also created an LGBTQIA heritage booklet exploring queer histories in the area. I put out a call out for LGBTQIA locals wanting to share their stories, and was contacted by people across the county, from tiny villages to large towns. The booklet reflects a wide spectrum of identities and experiences, and showcases resilience, joy and the complexity of being queer in Wiltshire. It is a reminder that we are here and have always been here.
In early 2025, we received £16,574 from the National Lottery Community Fund for the Queer in Wiltshire community project. This six-month project will include free workshops run by professional artists, and other queer activities including craft sessions and queer heritage talks. In a time when more and more people are identifying as LGBTQIA within a transphobic and homophobic political climate, safe spaces and sources of queer joy for LGBTQIA people are crucial. I hope this project can be just that.
The queer activities and projects at the Museum continue to remind me of the impact of LGBTQIA initiatives in rural areas. Every LGBTQIA visitor I have spoken to has struggled with the lack of queer spaces, representation and community in Wiltshire. Our queer activities have been met with overwhelming positivity, and have been described as “therapeutic” experiences that “balance the actual history of our community”.
In 2021, I spent two days at the Lesbian Archive in Glasgow exploring old sapphic zines and magazines for my dissertation. Reading these publications, published decades ago, I felt so connected to the experiences and feelings shared on their pages. It was a sense of community and belonging I had never felt before, and one that I have tried to embed in my queer work since. The new Queer in Wiltshire community project is the first of its kind at a museum in the area. I hope it will help LGBTQIA people explore and celebrate their identity, and build their community in a much-needed safe space.
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