Queer Lives An Oral History
Glasgow's Southside+ Stories
Glasgow's Southside+ Stories
Glasgow’s Southside+ Stories (GSS) is a volunteer-led community interest group that trains and works with local volunteers, including disadvantaged and marginalised individuals and groups, the elderly, young people, and people who have a bit of spare time and want to get involved with local projects, and to provide them with opportunities to support local projects or gain work experience in community and heritage sectors to which they would not otherwise have access.
GSS has egalitarian and inclusive values and is not affiliated to any political party.
Glasgow’s Southside+ Stories was established several years ago by a group of individuals who came together to record and preserve the Glasgow’s rich cultural and social heritage before it was lost. Many of the group's members have experience of working with grass roots voluntary organisations, and all have experience of working with heritage projects. They are all deeply passionate about preserving our collective heritage, mainly by recording people’s memories of the past.
In 2023, we were delighted to announce that Glasgow’s Southside+ Stories (GSS) had received a National Lottery Heritage Fund award to deliver an exciting oral history project documenting the historic and current barriers faced by individuals from Scotland’s LGBT+ communities. This fantastic oral history project offered opportunities for queer people to record their memories and raise issues around queer experiences of barriers to life, education, employment, wellbeing, health care, and elder care services.
The project was devised by GSS members with the aim of highlighting past struggles, celebrating positive achievements to address barriers, and to recognise where barriers still exist and, hopefully, provide insights into how these may be overcome in the near future.
GSS was thrilled to hear from people across Scotland, including a wonderful organisation in the Northern Highlands. Stepping Out invited our professional historian to work with its group members in Wick to record their lived experiences and to present and screen the project’s heritage video. More respondents were interviewed in Tain and Portmahomack. Not bad for a Glasgow-based project!
In addition to National Lottery Heritage Fund, which donated most of the funds, and Communities Past & Futures Society which donated the rest of the funds, we have been supported by some wonderful organisations and individuals. GSS actively recruited a diverse group of enthusiastic and talented local volunteers to work on the project, including people interested in accessing a career in the heritage sector or have an interest in queer history. They worked with us to create a unique digital oral history archive of interviews that are presented as an open collection on this website. Volunteers also contributed thought-provoking research, poetry, and artwork to this project.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated and helped to make ‘Queer Lives’ a truly memorable experience, especially those who shared their memories with us.
Thank you, All!
National Lottery Heritage Fund
National Lottery Heritage Fund Players
Communities Past & Futures Society
Dr Sue Morrison, Oral History Research and Training Consultancy:
www.oralhistoryresearchandtraining.uk
Rainy Days Productions
Rachel Kelly (Project Coordinator)
Mark Downie (Website Creator)
Adam Stevenson (Website Designer)
Glasgow Story Collective
Lost Strathclyde Heritage Group
Frances McKinlay and staff at The Marie Trust
Highland Arts & Heritage
Stepping Out, Caithness
Sanctuary Queer Arts
Twechar Community Action
GRACE
Mass Observation Archive
Seven Lochs Wetland Park
Dr Eleni Koumpouzi (former director) and the staff at Finn's Place.
The Circle, Easterhouse
Margaret Fraser, Together Leading Communities.
Frank Courtney McGowan, North Glasgow LGBT+.
Lavender Menace
Iris Larkins
David Allan
Katie Wishart
Sophie Monk: sophiemonk0@gmail.com (Open in email client)
Arete Glitterpunk
Siobhan Molloy Fahey
Wendy Miller
Billy Ferrie
Sadie Godiva
Chris Preece
Stacy Bias
Sylvia Morgan
Eleanor Chapman
John Smith
Gordon Milne
Chrissy
Tamsin Cairns Edwards
Stewart Gow
Amber Roberts
Betty Elliott
Helena Fox, aka King Hoberon: www.helenafox.co.uk and instagram.com/kinghoberon.
Jack Dickson
Rik Kay
Rachel Jardine
Lucia August
Ames
Thom Gallacher
Jack Dickson
Rachel Jardine
Stepping Out, Caithness
Charlotte Garscadden
Charlie Bryde
Dolly Rae
Emma Foster
Jane Foster
Sarah MacDonald
We offer heartfelt thanks to everyone who shared their memories and photographs with us, attended project events, or contributed their valuable time and talents. This project would not have been possible without you.