40 Years On: LGBTQ+ activism and life in Wales 1985-2025

For LGBT History Month, we are celebrating 40 years of queer activism in Wales, including historical and heritage activism, since the very first Pride March here in 1985.

This project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ history in Wales by collecting stories and artefacts to preserve Welsh LGBTQ+ history. Also, by working with community partners to support and amplify LGBT+ History Month 2025 and the importance of collecting and celebrating our past.

Thank you to Norena Shopland who joined our project to share a short history of LGBTQ+ activism in Wales. Norena walked us through a timeline of Welsh activists and the impact they’ve had on LGBTQ+ rights, and we learnt the importance of preserving our own artefacts, and using our own voices to vote at elections to ensure a well-documented history and a better future for generations to come.

We teamed up with Iris on the Move to show four thought-provoking short films in Wrexham, North Wales. The films were chosen as they amplify the voices of underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ+ community, and were followed by a panel discussion featuring Andrew Medcraft, Organisational Development and Diversity Advisor at Wrexham University; Kate Hutchinson from Pride Cymru; filmmakers Neil Ely and Lloyd Eyre-Morgan; and LGBTQ+ community members Sarah Way and Sue Oliver.

The film programme was as follows:

We stepped back in time at the Golden Cross to explore the parties of our past. We learnt about disappeared venues from a panel of speakers and compared them to what we have today. We then held an 80s trivia quiz, followed by music and dancing. Thank you to Rob (Dr Bev), Jeff, Paul (Amber Dextrous), and Angharad for hosting the panel discussion.

This event was inspired by our Lost LGBT Cardiff project that commenced in 2018, documenting LGBT venues in Cardiff that no longer exist. Since then, many people have contributed and the map has been developed into what it is today.

Do you see a missing spot on the LGBTQ+ history map? Share your stories and help us fill in the gaps! Visit our Facebook page to share your memories.

To close off LGBT+ History Month, we invited the wonderful contributors to our project to visit St Fagans’ first ever permanent queer history display, with speeches from Cath Harrison, Lisa Power, Nia Griffiths MP and Mark Etheridge.

In this collection of short videos, we brought together diverse activists from 1985 to now, comparing life and drawing parallels and lessons from their unique experiences.

Click the link to watch them now!

In the spirit of LGBT+ History Month, we encourage YOU to search through your homes for artefacts you could contribute to your local archives and museums.

These could be pins, stickers, badges, banners, T-shirts, diaries, love letters, photographs, flyers or anything else you might find. No matter how small or insignificant it seems, it matters.

If you have anything you’d like to contribute, please contact your local archives or Amgueddfa Cymru. If you need support, please email hello@pridecymru.com

Ar gyfer Mis Hanes LHDT+, rydyn ni’n dathlu 40 mlynedd o actifyddiaeth cwiar yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys actifyddrwydd hanesyddol a threftadaeth, ers yr Ymdaith Balchder cyntaf erioed yma yn 1985.

Mae’r prosiect yma, wedi ei ariannu gan y Gronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri Genedlaethol, yn anelu i godi ymwybyddiaeth o hanes LHDTC+ yng Nghymru gan gasglu storïau ac arteffactau i arbed hanes LHDTC+ Cymraeg. Hefyd, gan weithio efo partneriaid cymuned i gefnogi ac i dyfu Mis Hanes LHDTC+ 2025 a’r pwysigrwydd o gasglu a dathlu ein gorffennol.

Diolch i Norena Shopland, pwy ymunodd ag ein prosiect i rannu hanes byr o actifyddiaeth LHDTC+ yng Nghymru. Cerddodd Norena ni trwy amserlen o actifyddion Cymraeg a’r ardrawiad cawsant nhw ar hawliau LHDTC+ , a dysgon ni’r pwysigrwydd o arbed ein harteffactau ein hun, a defnyddio ein lleisiau ein hun i bleidleisio yn etholiadau i sicrhau hanes wedi dogfennu’n gynhwysfawr a dyfodol gwell i genedlaethau i ddod.

Cydweithion ni efo Iris ar Grwydr i ddangos pedwar ffilm fer gynhyrfus yn Wrecsam, Gogledd Cymru. Cafodd y ffilmiau eu dewis gan eu bod nhw’n cynyddu lleisiau o grwpiau heb gynrychiolaeth ddigonol o fewn y gymuned LHDTC+ , a chafodd eu dilyn gan drafodaeth panel unigryw a oedd yn cynnwys Andrew Medcraft, Cynghorydd Datblygu Sefydliadol ac Amrywiaeth ym Mhrifysgol Wrecsam; Kate Hutchinson o Falchder Cymru; y gwneuthurwyr ffilmiau Neil Ely a Lloyd Eyre-Morgan; ac aelodau o’r gymuned LHDTC+ , Sarah Way a Sue Oliver.

Roedd rhaglen y ffilm fel a ganlyn:

Camasom ni yn ôl mewn amser yn y Golden Cross i ymchwilio’r partïon o ein gorffennol. Dysgon ni am leoliadau caeedig o banel o siaradwyr a chymharu nhw i beth mae gennyn ni heddiw. Wedyn, dalon ni cwis trifia yr 80au, wedi’u dilyn gan gerddoriaeth a dawnsio. Diolch i Rob (Dr Bev), Jeff Hocking, Paul (Amber Dextrous), ac Angharad am gynnal y sgwrs panel.

Cafodd y digwyddiad yma ei hysbrydoli gan ein prosiect Caerdydd LDHT Coll a dechreuwyd yn 2018, yn dogfennu lleoliadau yng Nghaerdydd nad ydy’n bodoli ymhellach. Ers hynny, mae llawer o bobl wedi cyfrannu ac mae’r map wedi cael ei datblygu i mewn i beth yr ydy heddiw.

Ydych chi’n gweld gwagleoedd ar y map hanesyddol LHDTC+? Rhannwch eich storiâu a helpwch ni i lenwi’r gwagleoedd! Ymwelwch ein tudalen Facebook i rannu eich atgofion.

I ddiweddu Mis Hanes LHDT+ , gwahoddion ni’r cyfranwyr arbennig i ein prosiect i ymweld ag arddangosfa hanes cwiar barhaol gyntaf erioed Sain Ffagan, efo areithiau gan Cath Harrison, Lisa Power, Nia Griffiths MP and Mark Etheridge.

Yn y casgliad yma o fideos byr, daethon ni gyda’n gilydd gweithredwyr amrywiol o 1985 i nawr, i gymharu bywyd a llunio paralelau a gwersi o eu profiadau unigryw.

Cliciwch y cysylltiad i wylio nhw nawr!

Yn ysbryd Mis Hanes LHDT+ , rydyn ni’n eich annog CHI i edrych trwy eich tai am arteffactau gallwch chi gyfrannu i’ch archifau lleol ac amgueddfeydd.

Gall y rhain bod yn binnau, sticeri, bathodynnau, baneri, crysau-T, dyddiaduron, lythyrau cariad, lluniau, hysbyslenni neu unrhyw beth arall gallwch chi ffeindio. Dim ots pa bach neu ddibwys mae’n ymddangos, mae’n bwysig.

Os oes gennych chi unrhyw beth hoffwch chi gyfrannu, cysylltwch ag eich archifau lleol neu Amgueddfa Cymru. Os yr ydych chi eisiau cymorth, anfonwch e-bost i hello@pridecymru.com os gwelwch yn dda.