About this Event
An event in partnership with Gateshead LGBT History Group.
Join us this Pride for the Gayteshead LGBTQI+ History Event at the ONE Centre in Pelaw on 17th June from 6:00pm–8:00pm for an evening celebrating the rich and diverse history of LGBTQI+ life across Gateshead and Tyneside.
The event will feature talks from Richard Bliss and Mwelwa Chilekwa, alongside stalls from local organisations and community creatives selling crafts and books, creating a vibrant space for connection, learning, and community engagement. Visitors will also be able to explore a unique exhibition showcasing nearly a millennium of LGBTQI+ stories from Tyneside, highlighting the resilience, creativity, activism, and lived experiences that have shaped the region’s history. This special event offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and honour the communities and individuals who continue to shape LGBTQI+ life in the North East today.
Speaker bios:
Mwelwa Chilekwa describes herself as the three B’s: Black, British, Bi. Born in Zambia, she has made Newcastle her home. Writing poetry has given her a sense of belonging and she is now a regular at Newcastle’s spoken word scenes, including performing at Northern stage and Lindisfarne Festival. Her art explores themes of cultural differences, prejudices, societal issues and her personal life more broadly. Despite featuring heavy topics, she still manages to find a place for light and levity in her work.
Mwelwa will be talking about her experiences and struggles as a black person who is also queer, and finding a welcoming community in the contemporary North East, within the context of black queer history.
Richard Bliss is an artist and freelance arts project manager whose work explores LGBTQIA+ histories, working-class heritage, masculinity, memory, and community storytelling across the North East of England. Through exhibitions, installations, oral history projects, and public engagement work, Richard has developed a strong reputation for making overlooked histories visible and accessible.
His recent solo and collaborative exhibitions include The Quest for the Perfect Shirt at Bishop Auckland Town Hall, which explored masculinities through the public production of shirts; Our Voice at Greenfield Arts, an installation and sound work celebrating LGBTQIA+ history; Workers Thread at Ushaw House and Gardens and Bishop Auckland Town Hall, highlighting the working-class people connected to key historic sites in Durham; and Mr Scott’s Best Shirt at the Bowes Museum, which told the story of Thomas Lee Scott, a carpenter involved in building the museum.
His wider project work includes Hadrian and Antinous: A Gay Love Story as part of the Hadrian 1900 celebrations, Handing on our History, a community oral history project documenting LGBTQI+ activism in the North East, and managing community engagement events linked to Our Petals are Kisses at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art for Lubaina Himid.
Richard is currently developing a Queer Archive for the North East in partnership with North East Museums, Tyne and Wear Archives, and Curious Arts, alongside The Folly in the Meadow at Ushaw Historic House and Gardens with Lubaina Himid and Rebecca Chesney.
At the Gayteshead LGBTQI+ History Event, Richard will speak about the life of Jenny Gray, a pioneering transgender figure within the Edwardian North East transgender and gay community.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
ONE Centre, 2B Stonehills, Gateshead, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
