Queer collective memory during the time of COVID: Timelessness, isolation, and resilience in the United Kingdom

The study investigates how queer collective memory is articulated during the COVID-19 pandemic among LGBTQ+ people in the United Kingdom. In response to the WHO’s March 2020 pandemic declaration, the authors and collaborators launched Queer Pandemic, a video-based oral history project to capture life-story narratives from LGBTQ+ individuals across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Rather than debating definitions or boundaries of “LGBTQ+ community,” the paper examines shared experiences and expressions of collective memory recorded for Queer Britain’s museum collection. By the time of writing, 48 diverse adult participants (late teens to late 80s; varied genders, sexual orientations, races, and professions) had been interviewed. The project aims to document LGBTQ+ perspectives on COVID-19, preserve them in Queer Britain’s Virtually Queer archive, and inform both current analysis and future scholarship.

The article situates its approach within oral history, memory studies, queer studies, and museum studies. It engages oral history theory on memory’s grounding in time, place, and sensory cues (Thompson, 2011; Yow, 2005) and the notion of flashbulb memories for extreme events. It draws on Portelli’s view that remembering and narration reflect narrators’ investments in versions of the past, and Halbwachs’ concept of collective memory mediated through commemoration and contemporary needs. The authors reference queer oral history practices emphasizing systematic collection yet interpretive openness (Murphy et al., 2016). Museum studies and queer museum scholarship frame the role of museums as active, transformative institutions, particularly for marginalized communities (Sullivan & Middleton, 2020). The paper also engages public memory work comparing COVID-19 with HIV/AIDS (Catlin, 2021) and the enduring collective memory and activist legacies of the AIDS crisis as a “usable past” shaping present discourse and action.

Queer Pandemic is a video-based oral history project housed within Queer Britain’s Virtually Queer collection. After lockdowns halted planned in-person fieldwork in March 2020, interviews were conducted remotely using virtual meeting software to ensure safety. Recruitment began with the “Open Letters to Queer Britain” campaign (co-sponsored with Levi’s and the Post Office) and continued through social media and targeted outreach to underrepresented UK regions. Participants are self-identified LGBTQ+ adults living in the UK who consent to being named and visually identifiable; interviews are preserved as video, audio, and transcripts. A short, thematically organized interview guide was developed, and student interviewers/transcribers at Kent State University and Goldsmiths/Birkbeck received standardized training in oral history ethics, techniques, and protocols. The project follows best practices of the Oral History Association (US) and Oral History Society (UK) and received IRB exemption at Kent State University. Data analysis employs grounded theory and content analysis, supported by coding in NVivo to identify emergent themes. As of writing, 48 interviews had been completed, with ongoing collection planned until WHO classification shifts from pandemic to endemic. The museum context prioritizes visibility and public exhibition, influencing the choice of video-based, named participation and shaping both the collection’s scope and its limitations.

- Themes of isolation and timelessness: As the pandemic progressed, many participants reported difficulty recalling timelines and associating experiences with distinct lockdown phases; a diminished variety of embodied spaces eroded temporal anchors. Early interviews (2020) more precisely recounted rules/waves; later interviews (mid/late 2021) reflected memory gaps and intensified isolation. Example: Rachel Dawson (32, Cardiff) described “whole patches” hard to remember and regretted not documenting early lockdown days; Mark Pendleton (43, Manchester) described a “constrained existence” within a small radius and increasing loneliness. - Shifts in community connection: Closure or virtualization of LGBTQ+ spaces (bars, clubs, community centers, bookstores, events) altered relationships to queer community. Early enthusiasm for online connection (Zoom parties, virtual events) gave way to fatigue by mid-2021. Verb tense in narratives signaled distance: those deeply engaged or working in queer cultural fields (e.g., Selina Robertson) spoke in the present tense about ongoing community work; others described past engagement and burnout. - Identity affirmation disrupted: With reduced contact in queer spaces and networks, some participants experienced distress and questioned their felt sense of queerness, illustrating the social dimension of queer identity formation and maintenance. Example: Adam Zmith struggled with virtual substitutes and eventually used queer films to re-establish a sense of “doing” queerness. - HIV/AIDS as collective memory and “usable past”: Many drew explicit parallels between COVID-19 and the AIDS crisis—anticipating scapegoating, recalling community resilience, and importing activist repertoires (e.g., ACT UP imagery). Participants with firsthand memory (e.g., Geoff Hardy) and those without (e.g., Kush Varia, Jesse Gough) invoked AIDS-era lessons to orient responses to COVID-19 and critique government inaction. - Sample scope and diversity: 48 interviews completed at time of writing; ages span from late teens to late 80s; varied genders, sexual orientations, racial identities, education, and professions. Findings emphasize memory-related themes (isolation, timelessness, disrupted community/identity, AIDS analogies) alongside non-memory themes (government response, relationships, work) not analyzed in depth here.

Findings demonstrate how LGBTQ+ individuals in the UK articulate collective memory during COVID-19. The erosion of embodied spatial routines and closures of queer venues weakened temporal markers and challenged memory recall, while also disrupting communal practices that affirm queer identity. Linguistic shifts (present to past tense) reflect growing distance from community as the pandemic lengthened, and online modalities moved from novelty to fatigue. Simultaneously, the collective memory of HIV/AIDS—circulated through commemoration, cultural production, and intergenerational storytelling—provided a salient framework to interpret COVID-19, offering models of resilience, community care, and activist strategies. These dynamics highlight the dual individual/social nature of both memory and queer identity and underscore the role of museums and oral history archives in documenting evolving collective memories amid ongoing crises.

The paper contributes an empirically grounded account of queer collective memory during COVID-19, based on video oral histories curated for Queer Britain. It identifies key themes—timelessness, isolation, disrupted community and identity, and the mobilization of AIDS-era memory and activism—as central to LGBTQ+ experiences of the pandemic in the UK. The project also demonstrates how a national LGBTQ+ museum can actively collect, exhibit, and analyze contemporary histories to counter erasure. Practically, the Queer Pandemic collection has been incorporated into Queer Britain’s inaugural exhibitions and outreach activities. Future directions include continuing interviews as the pandemic evolves, expanding recruitment among underrepresented geographies and communities (e.g., LGBTQ+ people of color, LGBTQ+ people with disabilities), and enabling future scholars to trace how sexual orientation and gender identity shape pandemic experiences and activism.

- Ongoing project: Themes are preliminary and not definitive; data collection continues as conditions change. - Visibility requirement: Video-based, named participation excludes individuals who are not publicly out or lack safety to be identified. - Access barriers: Technological and housing constraints limit participation by some vulnerable groups. - Sampling gaps: Geographic and demographic underrepresentation persists despite targeted outreach. - Recall challenges: Extended pandemic duration and reduced spatial variety impair timeline recall, potentially biasing memory-based analyses.