Queer Stories

Queer Stories responds to the need to generate and ‘publish’ stories of LGBTIQA+ inclusion. As Equity and Diversity frameworks globally are facing the threat or dilution or dissolution, finding new and creative ways to generate and publicly represent authentic stories of inclusion are increasingly important. Research shows that Visualising LGBTIQA+ presence in public space is an important factor in making urban environments feel more inclusive. This is not just true of the Queer Community; making diversity visible helps public spaces become more accessible for the breadth of richly intersectional but continuously marginalised groups that reside in our cities.

The solution is a co-design workshop for LGBTIQA+ community and their allies. it steps volunteer participants through a curated series of processes: a short, reflective writing sprint that focuses on their moments of joy, noting especially what public space this occurred in. The story prompts are then worked into short (100-word) stories. Once written each story is translated into a 3-dimensional paper maquette, using components that can be easily customised for each participant’s individual narrative. On completion the maquettes are brought together in the Queer City, a purpose built structure designed to house and connect the stories for public display.

The impact of ‘Queer Stories’ is to make visible and celebrate the diversity of our communities. Queer people are also people of colour, linguistically and culturally diverse, differently abled and of diverse gender identities. They embrace allies as they do the community themselves. ‘Queer Stories’ is a design approach that surfaces our connectedness and humanity, highlighting stories of pride, joy and visibility. All LGBTIQA+ people have a litany of stories of nonacceptance and marginalisation, but this project specifically focuses on the flip-side: positive stories that position their identify as part of, not adjacent to, our public spaces and social structures.

A key feature of this project is its ability to empower people who may not assume any ‘creative’ capacity. It reassures the participants that they have an ability, both with text and through physical making, to creativity tell a great story via multiple means. It builds individual creative confidence and storytelling ability while encouraging broader community building.