TALK: From Prejudice to Pride - An Exploration of Camden's LGBT+ heritage
17th February 2026 at 6pm
Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre, 2nd Floor, Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8PA
Free
17th February 2026 at 6pm
Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre, 2nd Floor, Holborn Library, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8PA
Free
In this illustrated presentation Richard Cohen, a longstanding local resident and Camden tour guide will take you through Camden's deep and rich heritage of sexual diversity.
You will hear about the extraordinary range of people and places that are part of Camden’s LGBTQ+ story. Meet Victorian cross-dressers and visit the notorious and much policed watering holes of the Bohemian demimonde of the 1920s and 30s.
See the theatre which was the vanguard of lesbian and gay drama and London's first LGBTQ+ bookshop. Meet the Bloomsbury Set who challenged Victorian codes of behaviour and Kenneth Williams the great genius of Polari.
Hear the inspiring story of how the LGBT+ community rallied together to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Witness the struggle against the hated Section 28 and the joyous celebrations of the first Same Sex weddings at Camden Town Hall.
The talk lasts fifty minutes and will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions.
Part of Camden Council's LGBT+ History Month programme



