Take Courage.
An Homage to Queer Vauxhall in the '70s,'80s & '90s
Homosex remains illegal in 30% of the world
It’s 6 decades since UK De-Crim
And queer archive fever reaches tip-top-tempo in Duckie’s Diamond Jubilee
Our Government passed the Sexual Offences Act in July 1967, partially decriminalising homosexual acts between men in England and Wales. Softening the rules about what queers could do with our bodies was then extended to Scotland in 1980 and Northern Ireland in 1982
To observe this landmark, Duckie will be taking over the fancy new London Museum in Smithfield Market for a weekend in July 2027. In the run up, we present 30 opportunities to take a few history lessons and get involved in some hot bent nerdy archive action
‘Take Courage’ read the brass, neon and plastic signs on the three Vauxhall pubs that are going to anchor this journey: the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the Market Tavern and the Elephant & Castle
That slogan was the trademark of the mighty south London brewery - and you certainly needed courage to be a sexual or gender dissident and walk the mean streets of Vauxhall in the bad old days
In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, homophobia was ordinary and everywhere
Many of us found that courage through the booze these places sold; some of us found it in their laughter, glamour and danger
Only one of these three pubs remains, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, that old London whore standing on the corner, still surviving
The Elephant is now a Starbucks, and the Market Tavern has been demolished to build ‘luxury’ flats. But inbetween the rubble, the new glass sky scrapers and the corporate steam from the espresso machine, our stories survive, and we’re on a mission to dig them up
We start in Vauxhall, and then pan out. The topic is London queer subculture in the three decades at the end of the 20th century: the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. And we offer you 30 (count’ em !) different ways to get discovering how it all used to work
The London Queer History Clubs are once-or-twice-a-month live magazine shows, a sort of ‘Blue Peter for Perverts’ (The Telegraph) co-curated with homosexualist specialists and lezzas with lived experience
The Deep Dives are research trips where the community raid the archives, do site visits and take walks down memory lane, all under the guidance of some mighty older LGBTQ+ folksCome for a picnic or come for a swim and a sunbathe or have a curry with us – or a séance in Starbucks - failing that we will take you to a museum or a library
We are creating a Scene Zine, taking the pulse of late 20th century lesbian, gay, bisexual and TV / TS / GQ culture
And we are filming 15 legends and storing their stories forever in the Bishopsgate Institute
It runs for 12 months – from July 2026 until July 2027. Sign up, book tickets or just turn up in Vauxhall at the first session on Wednesday 8 July and roll your sleeves up
Come to our period drama for flashbacks, momento moris and quiescent queer rage. Come for high jinks, mass mourning, emotional recall and unanswered questions
To build community, get new mates, drink tea or to find the love of your life
Take Courage.
Fuck knows we need it
(Take Courage is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund)
