Q:alliance Oral History Project 2025
During 2025 Living Archive worked with Q:alliance to record the stories and memories of people from the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes.
This collection of interviews captures the personal journeys, activism, and community contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals in Milton Keynes across several decades.
This project was made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Creator
Living Archive MK on behalf of Q:alliance
Place
MIlton Keynes and surrounding areas
Reference number
QOH
Records in this Collection
B Morton identifies as queer, agender-ish and trans and was born in Milton Keynes in 1994. They defined ‘agender’ as being not fussed by gender as a concept. They joined the Queer Youth Network at age 15 and found many online friends. Also at 15, they joined the Youth Group and Trans Group at Q:alliance. At ...
Barbara Green identifies as a lesbian and was born in Nottinghamshire. Dani Brumm identifies as a lesbian and was originally from Switzerland. This joint interview captures their personal and political journeys as lesbian activists in Milton Keynes and beyond. Dani and Barbara met through mutual friends in a Swiss lesbian community and later moved ...
Carlo identifies as a gay man and was born in 1975 in Luton and Dunstable hospital and grew up in Leighton Buzzard. He was raised in an Italian Catholic community and feared coming out for the shame it would bring to his family. He came out aged 23 to his gay boss during a work ...
Celeste is a trans woman who identifies as trans-femme and was born in Milton Keynes in 1998. She first encountered Q:alliance in late 2022 after struggling with anxiety and identity. Prompted by the Mindline Trans helpline, she attended a Q:alliance safe space in March 2023, where she felt welcomed and affirmed for the first time. Initially ...
Derek identifies as a gay man and was born in Marlow in 1948. He lost his sight in his late twenties. He moved to Milton Keynes in 1982 to work at the Open University. He retired in 2010 and moved to Suffolk in 2018. He came out in his 40s, circa 1991 to ‘92. His mother ...
Elliot Willis was born in Milton Keynes in 1976. In this interview he reflects on his pivotal role in founding and developing Youth Line, an LGBTQ+ youth organisation in Milton Keynes. Elliot became involved with the LGBTQ+ community during his school years through a supportive teacher and youth worker, Debbie Morgan. Starting from informal grassroots ...
Gwen Morgan is a transgender woman and was born in Aberystwyth, Wales. She shared her personal journey of self-discovery, transition, and community involvement in Milton Keynes. Initially feeling isolated after moving to MK in 2001, she gradually built confidence through involvement with a Buddhist community and a local choir, but it was her engagement with ...
Gwen Scott is a transgender woman who was born in Milton Keynes in 2000. Oliver Hawkins is a transgender male who was born in Luton in 2006. In this joint interview they share their personal journeys as transgender individuals living in Milton Keynes. They reflect on their experiences of coming out, attending Pride events and ...
Gwilym Roberts identifies as queer and was born in Wales in 1972. In this interview he reflects on his life and work within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in Milton Keynes, where he played a pivotal role as the first Centre Manager for Q Space in the early 2000s. Gwilym shares his journey from HIV prevention ...
Jay Virgo describes himself as a demisexual, pansexual, neurodiverse individual. He was born in Gloucestershire in 1994. He has played a pivotal role in Milton Keynes’ LGBTQ+ community through his work at Q:alliance. After transitioning from retail and leisure work during the COVID-19 lockdown, he joined the Q:alliance to create meaningful change, eventually becoming the ...
Jenni identifies as a lesbian and was born in 1957. She moved to Milton Keynes in 1980 when she took a job with Marconi. She came out in 1982, which was nerve-wracking because Marconi was a defence contractor and she could have been sacked. The lesbians formed a group in 1983 and then an Older Lesbians ...
Jennifer Hill identifies as a bisexual woman and was born in 1985 in Bradford. She has been a driving force behind LGBTQ+ community development in Milton Keynes. After moving to the city in the 1990s, her first meaningful engagement with the LGBTQ+ community began at university. Returning at 21, she started volunteering with Q:alliance and ...
Jim Scott identifies as a cis male and was born in Scotland in 1943. Jonathan Squires identifies as a cis male and was born in Weston Super Mare in 1962. In this joint interview they reflect on their personal experiences as gay men living in Milton Keynes from the 1980s onward. Jim was active in ...
Judith Taylor identifies as straight and was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in 1953. She is a former nurse and became involved with the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes after taking a role as an outreach worker for YouthLine from 2000 to 2003. Initially unfamiliar with LGBTQ+ issues, her journey was sparked by her own son ...
Judy Goss identifies as a queer woman and was born in 1963 near Aylesbury. She became the Q:alliance Heritage Project Worker in 2024 after moving to Milton Keynes. Having lived in Brighton for 20 years, she brought a wealth of experience to the role, which primarily involves collecting and preserving the stories of the LGBTQ+ ...
Karen Kodish identifies as someone who has a preference towards loving women. She was born on the South Coast in Portsmouth. In this interview she reflects on her experiences as an LGBTQ+ community member in Milton Keynes since moving in 2005. She discusses discovering Q:alliance and becoming involved in its early activities at the David ...
Marsaili Cameron identifies as a lesbian and was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1951. Sonja Ruehl identifies as a lesbian and was born in Birmingham in 1950. They are lesbian partners who moved to Milton Keynes in the mid-1970s and became active members of the local LGBTQ+ community. In this joint oral history interview they reflect ...
Pascal identifies as a gay man and was born in France in 1973. He moved to Milton Keynes in 2000 and his first contact with the local community was a meeting with a volunteer at Pink Punters. He became a regular at The Rose & Castle. He ran a pub night in Northampton and started ...
Peter Kingham identifies as a gay man and was born in Milton Keynes in 1972 . He is a long-standing LGBTQ+ advocate in Milton Keynes. In this interview Peter reflects on growing up during Section 28 and the AIDS crisis, describing the isolation and stigma he experienced. He shares his early efforts to connect with ...
Sally Hayes identifies as a lesbian and was born in Kent in 1956. Ben Plumpton identifies as a lesbian and was born in London in 1954. In this joint interview they share their personal journeys of coming out, community activism, and raising a family together during a time of significant social and political hostility toward ...
Kye identifies as a trans male and was born in Milton Keynes in 1998. He came out to his mother by letter – she was very accepting. His first involvement with the LGBTQ+ community was Q:youth when he was turning 18. Sam identifies as non-binary and queer and was born in Milton Keynes in 2000 They ...
TJ Richards identifies as queer, gender nonconforming, maybe non-binary queer and lesbian. She was born in Florida in 1979. In this interview she shares her personal journey and her impactful involvement with the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes, primarily through her work with Q:alliance since 2017. She discusses her evolving gender identity, her move from ...
Tony O’Shea-Poon identifies as a queer man and was born in 1971 in Waterford in Ireland. In this interview he reflects on his extensive contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes since moving there in 1995. Initially feeling isolated, he found belonging through the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard, eventually becoming a key figure in local ...
Winston identifies as a black gay man and was born in Slough in 1970. He moved to Leighton Buzzard when he was 12 and was the only black child in the school. By 13-14 he knew he was gay, but did not verbalise it. He left school at 16 and got a job in Milton Keynes ...
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