A High-rise Flat in 2005
Curated with the help of participants from LGBTQI+ communities
Funded through Art Happens, Art Fund’s crowd-funding platform, John Shakeshaft and Andrew Hochhauser KC
Responding to a population boom, local authorities built high-rise blocks like Withy House from the 1950s to early 1970s in an effort to create ‘streets in the sky’. However, they grew a reputation for being undesirable, and after decades of privatisation and a chronic lack of funding, many of these blocks had been demolished by the new millennium.
Background
Right to buy
The 1980 Housing Act or ‘Right to Buy’ scheme marked the UK’s rethinking of council housing, allowing tenants to buy their flat from local authorities. It led to a reduction in social housing, and tower blocks became a mix of privately owned and housing association flats.
Visability
The late 1990s marked a steep rise in positive LGBTQI+ representation. Transgender icon Dana International broke new ground by winning Eurovision in 1998, and mainstream TV channels produced openly queer shows such as Queer as Folk and The L Word.
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988
The legislation prohibited the promotion of ‘homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’ by local authorities. Teachers like Ashley were unable to address homophobia in schools and worked in fear of overstepping the law’s vague boundaries. The law was repealed in 2003.
Climate Action
In the 1980s, the destruction of the ozone layer prompted a swift global effort to ban the chemicals at fault. Action around climate change came a lot more slowly, but in 2005 the Kyoto Protocol came into effect, with the UK among many countries pledging to substantially reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Personal stories
Veronica McKenzie
"I remember there was a listings magazine [which] had the Black lesbian gay group in it. And I ended up going to the centre on Marchmont Street and being absolutely terrified and then walking in and finding a whole room of Black queer people who looked like me... On that first day, I met two lesbians who to this day, I'm still in contact with. It was amazing!"
Ted Brown
"We concluded that every single gay person grew up in a straight environment and that it was about time that we lived with ourselves, with each other, and made our own criteria, our own standard of living, and not be dependent upon straight interpretations of who we were and so on. And that's how the community came together."
What's happening
Nadia and Ashley have been looking for another LGBTQI+ flatmate to move into their spare room. They recently met Alex at the The George and Dragon in Hoxton, and later that same night invited her to move in.
Their tenancy agreement forbids any changes to the flat without the landlord’s permission. However, after spending the last few evenings with Alex watching reruns of home makeover shows like Changing Rooms, they have all been inspired to grab a paint brush and go for it. More than just redecorating, they want to be able to personalise their home, and create a safe and serene space.
Things to look out for
Club memorabilia
As homes away from home, bars and clubs have always been key places for members of the LGBTQI+ community to meet and socialise in safe environments. Free decoration or mementos of an amazing night, club flyers, listings and ephemera are dotted around the rooms as tokens of east London’s iconic queer nightlife.
Maggie as Disco Diva
By the 2000s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had become a much-loathed figure among many communities, with the impact of homophobic laws passed by her government lingering on far past her tenure. This satirical collage from Muzik Magazine uses camp silliness to question and mock her legacy.
Stereo
"It was quite a big investment at the time and it was good to have a quality system to listen to my records on... It represents the ability to hear black music in our own homes at a time when there wasn’t much played in the mainstream." - Veronica McKenzie
Looking for more?
Come and immerse yourself in the rooms, and discover the personal stories and social history behind them, at the Museum.