A new book and exhibition launch on the Isle of Wight later this month as part of the Out On An Island project, which spent two years delving into the hidden history of the Isle of Wight’s LGBTQ+ community.
Developed by StoneCrabs Theatre and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project’s team of dedicated volunteers has uncovered a rich history which has been largely erased or ignored.
This research has culminated in the publication of a book, due to be released on 14th February 2022.
18 oral history interviews
The book features excerpts from 18 interviews with LGBTQ+ people, carried out over the course of two years. The interviewees share their honest, intimate accounts of what it’s like to be ‘out’ on the Isle of Wight, an isolated island with a long and abiding conservative history.
Essays, poems and images contributed by local people and volunteers build a picture of the social and political life of LGBTQ+ people on the Island.
It is a candid, emotional record of human behaviour and the hurdles that can be faced in seeking to be your authentic self.
Glowing endorsements
Along with Human rights activist Peter Tatchell, Out On An Island has endorsements from author Patrick Gale and Stonewall co-founder and politician Lord Michael Cashman. Cashman says of the book,
“A wonderful rich history of an island I knew as I child but never knew as an adult gay man.
“This wonderful and intriguing history is brought together by the personal testimonies and experiences of LGBT+ people who lived on the Isle of Wight and delves courageously into the past one hundred years.
“In so doing it builds bridges and looks forward with optimism and joy.”
Where and when
Out On An Island – The Isle of Wight’s Hidden LGBTQ+ History will be launched on 19th February 2022 at 3.30pm with a special event at Carisbrooke Castle Museum.
From February 2022 to August 2022, the museum will also be hosting an exhibition of the project’s research and memorabilia, in tandem with educational talks and visits with schools around the Isle of Wight.
Pre-orders for the book are now available via the Medina Books Website.
Our thanks to Medina Books for sponsoring this feature. They and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
Image: © Cover design by Jon Habens
