Powerful photographs, protest memorabilia and oral histories bring decades of Lambeth’s LGBTQ+ history to life during Pride Month 2025.
A moving and defiant tribute to LGBTQ+ resilience and pride has opened at Lambeth Archives, as the borough launches the ‘Share Your Pride’ exhibition to coincide with Pride Month 2025.
Running from 9 June to 30 June, the free exhibition features an extensive collection of photographs, protest memorabilia, and recorded oral histories gathered directly from Lambeth’s LGBTQ+ residents. Curated by artist and performer Dan de la Motte, the show is rooted in lived experience, activist energy, and community memory.
Lambeth has a storied past in LGBTQ+ activism. It was the backdrop for 12 Pride marches throughout the 1980s and 1990s — including landmark events such as EuroPride and UK Black Pride — which served as both a joyful celebration and an urgent political act. The borough’s LGBTQ+ community marched through the AIDS crisis, the chilling effects of Clause 28, and a national rise in hate crimes. This historical depth forms the backbone of the exhibition.
“Our events in May to collect donations and loans were busy all day,” said de la Motte. “People brought badges, zines, t-shirts — but it was the photographs that really stood out. They set the tone. The exhibition is DIY, raw, and in the spirit of the 1980s Pride marches. We’ve got 50 prints on the wall and another 200 rolling on a screen.”
The personal becomes political throughout the exhibition. Alongside relics of historic protests are audio recordings of people recounting their memories of those early Pride events — recollections that de la Motte hopes will soon become part of the Lambeth Archives’ permanent LGBTQ+ collection.
But this exhibition is no mere nostalgia trip.
“People should come and see Share Your Pride because it’s more than a retrospective,” added de la Motte. “It’s a tribute to ongoing struggle. We feature powerful recent moments like Night Pride, a spontaneous march held in response to the 2023 stabbings outside the Two Brewers in Clapham. This show reminds us that the fight for LGBTQ+ safety, dignity and rights is far from over.”
In recent years, the UK has witnessed a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, making this exhibition especially timely. Its blend of past and present aims to draw a through-line from grassroots organising in the 1980s to today’s ongoing need for visibility, solidarity, and community care.
Lambeth, home to more LGBTQ+ residents than any other London borough, remains proud of its inclusive values. Councillor Donatus Anyanwu, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, praised the exhibition for its cultural and historical significance.
“This exhibition is a powerful reminder that Lambeth has always welcomed the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “It speaks to our borough’s twin spirit of celebration and resistance — something we continue to honour and protect.”
As the borough continues to confront challenges such as gentrification, housing inequality and rising hate speech, events like Share Your Pride provide vital moments of reflection, education, and community strengthening.
The exhibition is open to all, free of charge, and will run through the end of June at Lambeth Archives.
Whether you’re a long-time resident, a younger activist, or a curious ally, Share Your Pride offers a vibrant and heartfelt journey through Lambeth’s past and present LGBTQ+ history — one that continues to unfold with urgency and pride.
