Queer Britain’s New Exhibitions Now Open For 2026
Queer Britain, the UK’s only museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, has unveiled its 2026 program, reopening on February 4 with all-new displays across its four galleries.
Relaunching during LGBTQ+ History Month, the museum’s galleries have been completely reinvented for 2026, grouped around six themes: Resist!, Club Kids, Queer Creativity, Body and Mind, Live Laugh Love, and The World Around Us. More than 200 objects are featured in the displays, including a panel from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt and exhibits on Justin Fashanu, the UK’s first openly gay professional football player. There are also temporary exhibitions celebrating 40 years of the BFI Flare festival of LGBTQ films, and the pre-internet world of LGBTQ+ print and publications.
“It’s a museum for anyone to learn, to understand, and accept what it means to be LGBTQ+ today, and we are both delighted to support Queer Britain as Patrons” —Elton John and David Furnish
The new collections gallery tells stories of queer life, love, protest and artistry through six themes:
Resist! looks at efforts to organize against oppression and will focus on the story of The Black Lesbian and Gay Centre, which was an integral contributor to the LGBTQ+ activism of the 1980s and 1990s. Co-curated by filmmaker Veronica McKenzie and a community group, it features rarely seen posters and pamphlets.
Club Kids celebrates alternative ways of coming together and will open with a co-curated showcase of Club Kali – the UK’s first ever space welcoming all LGBTQ+ people to connect and celebrate their diverse South Asian heritage.
Queer Creativity focuses on artistic pursuits and will tell the story of the Women’s Liberation music-making movement of the 1970’s and 1980’s, which included major contributions from lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women.
Body and Mind reclaims narratives around LGBTQ+ experiences of health, illness, and disability and will display a panel from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, part of the largest community arts project in history.
Live, Laugh, Love tells stories of domesticity and relationships and will focus on Bloomsbury group members Lytton Strachey and Dora Carrington, whose tight, loving bond included comfortably sharing boyfriends.
The World Around Us explores the wider place of queer life in society and will open with the story of Justin Fashanu, the first Black footballer to have a £1 million transfer fee, who announced that he was gay in 1990 after being threatened with being outed by the press.
The gallery themes have been informed by visitor feedback, and the individual stories within each will change on a rolling basis, maximizing the museum’s ability to represent the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
In addition to the collections gallery, Queer Britain will present a series of special exhibitions in 2026, including:
Queer Print, Now – May 3: Delving into the Queer Britain archive – donated by people from across the UK – this exhibition showcases magazines, flyers, posters, zines and ephemera to tell the story of how LGBTQ+ people came together, told stories and organized through radical and alternative print cultures in a pre-digital age.
40 Years of BFI Flare, Now – 3 May 3: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival began its life in 1986 as a small season of films at the National Film Theatre under the title Gay’s Own Pictures, and has since grown into one of Europe’s biggest queer film festivals. Coinciding with BFI Flare’s 40th edition taking place 18-29 March at BFI Southbank, this display of posters charts the evolving themes and visual identities that have defined the festival over its history.
Progressive Advertising with Diageo, May 13 – July 26: An upcoming exhibition at Queer Britain will spotlight the intersection of creativity, culture, and LGBTQIA+ representation in modern Britain. Longtime partner Diageo will take over a dedicated space within the gallery, showcasing a selection of its most progressive advertising and campaigns from brands including Smirnoff, Guinness, and Johnnie Walker. The installation will also offer a glimpse into Diageo’s commitments to LGBTQIA+ inclusion, advocacy, and community support, reinforcing brands’ role in driving meaningful cultural change.
Trans is Human, August 5 – September 27: This exhibition, produced by trans couple Jake and Hannah Graff and featuring portraits by renowned photographer Mariano Vivanco, celebrates the stories of thirteen inspiring, familiar and very ordinary transgender people from across the UK
Everyone Involved by Ian Giles, October 21 – November 15: An immersive installation and film featuring ‘A Gay Song’, which is heralded as the first LGBTQ+ protest song recorded onto vinyl in 1972. Artist Ian Giles reformed the original band to re-record the song 52 years after its inception, in a cross-generational gesture of thanks and an example of the living legacy of the gay liberation movement in the UK.
Details of further exhibitions, including a partnership with Diageo, will be announced throughout the year. Queer Britain’s exhibition and displays are accompanied by a year-round events programme that includes opportunities to meet authors and artists, creative workshops, and panel discussions exploring parallels between the historical and current struggles of the LGBTQ+ community.
Queer Britain, 2 Granary Square, Kings Cross, London N1C 4BH. Admission: ‘Pay What You Can’. Opening hours: 12–6 pm Wednesday to Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Visit queerbritain.org.uk.
About Queer Britain
Queer Britain is the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum, located in Granary Square, Kings Cross, London. Its mission is to “Reclaim and Preserve queer people’s stories and objects and Inspire by celebrating and educating about LGBTQ+ lives, impact and culture.” As an independent museum with no public subsidy, Queer Britain relies on the generosity of its supporters through donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, and commercial income.
