Jack Shoulder

It's coming up to tour time again! I can't wait to share more LGBTQIA+ history with you! 🗺️ V&A 🗓️ Saturday 31 October ⏱️ 4pm-5pm 📗 No, just show up! 💰 FREE 📍Meet under the blue and green chandelier Each tour is different as we explore the collection in new ways. If you come along, please say hi!

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 26 (1946) Holly Woodlawn (born #OTD) was an actress who inspired Andy Warhol, featuring in his Trash and Women in Revolt. She also gets name checked in Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side, which tells of her hitch-hiking and transition. Her estate supports trans youth in LA.

A moment of reflection, it's been a month since Hotties in Art hit the shelves! (Graphic design is my passion)

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 25 (2019) Self described "deaf, Jewish, gender queer, trans masculine, Chinese, person of colour" Chella Man's Teen Titans character Jericho gets a spotlight episode with a dramatic and ambiguous ending #OTD. Jericho, like Chella, is also deaf and uses sign language.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 24 (1933) Notorious gangsters the Kray Twins were born. Despite the murder, robbery, protection rackets (etc!) they were celebrities and supported their local community. People are complicated. In his 1993 biography, Ronnie said plainluly "I'm bisexual, not gay. Bisexual."

#TodayInQueerHistory October 23 (1992) Mindy Hall, GLAA president, organises the 2nd Walk Without Fear protest. The event was to highlight the rising rate of homophobic attacks and to advocate for safer streets. Signs read; "Fight Gay Bashing," "Combat Hate Violence," "Protest Police Insensitivity."

That feeling when both your book babies are face out in the bookshop of a major global museum (You can pick up copies wherever you buy books, and there's even more fun here: linktr.ee/jackshoulder)

Carrietta White did nothing wrong.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 22 (1990) "£1m SOCCER STAR: I AM GAY" screams the headline in tabloid The Sun, as footballer Justin Fashanu shares that he's gay in an exclusive interview. Justin was the 1st high profile professional male player in the UK to come out. Sadly, he faced tremendous backlash.

This is tonight! Have you got your ticket?

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 21 (1854) Florence Nightingale and 38 other nurses go to care for the injured in the Crimean War. Florence may be queer, she wrote "I have slept in the same beds with English Countesses and Prussian farm women. No woman has excited passions among women more than I have.”

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 20 (2010) Canadian teen Brittany McMillan started Spirit Day; wearing purple as a visible sign of supporting queer people & standing against homophobic bullying. She said: "I want Spirit Day to make just one person ...to feel safe ...to be proud of who they are."

#TodayInQueerHistory October 19 (2004) Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty wins the Man Booker Award. It's the 1st queer book to win the prestigious prize. Set in the 1980s, the novel explores class, politics and sexuality and deals with the emergence of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

#TodayInQueerHistory October 18 (1991) Derek Jarman's Edward II is released. Based on Christopher Marlowe's text, it explores the relationship between the Edward & Piers Gaveston. Jarman's vision recasts Edwards army as gay rights activists. Some of the extras WERE activists and part of OutRage!

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 17 (2019) "I’m an artist, it’s core to my job to imagine realities that don’t necessarily exist." Frank Ocean launched his Prep+ club night #OTD, calling it an “homage to what could have been of the 1980s’ NYC club scene if the drug…had been invented in that era”.

What a great night with Gayberystwyth Books and their amazing Queer Lit Quarterly event. Alongside Hotties in Art, there were other great books like Crystal Jean's Blueprints and work from the wonderful Dr Kit Heyam and the magical Sacha. We had a thought provoking panel chat and the audience was.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 16 (1854) Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was born #OTD. Oscar set the Victorian stage ablaze with his plays. His novels, like The Picture of Dorian Gray are still enjoyed today. He was arrested on charges of sodomy and gross indecency & spent 2 years in prison.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 15 (1970) "TWO WOMEN MARRIED IN CHICAGO -- TO EACH OTHER" runs the headline in Jet Magazine after Edna Knowles and Peaches Stevens wed at Liz's Mark III Lounge. The Attorney general's office said that there is no state statute that either bans or sanctions such marriages.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 14(1977) While plugging her gay conversion centres on TV, homophobic Anita Bryant was pied in the face by queer activist Thomas Higgins. Byrant then prayed that Higgins would be "delivered from his lifestyle". Higgins is credited for coining the term "gay pride".

Cork! You've been so wonderful! @michaelwaldron.bsky.social was such a fun interviewer and the team at Waterstones were fabulous. I can't wait to visit again when the Crawford Art Gallery reopens

"The venga bus is coming"

Seeing the original Pride flag, dyed, stitched and flown by Gilbert Bake et al was a magical moment. This piece of fabric is blazing beacon of hope for so many of us, our gayeaux tapestry, telling our stories and proclaiming our existence. It's in Cork Public Museum at the moment :)

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 13 (1997) Annie Proulx's acclaimed short story is published in The New Yorker. It tells the story of two cowboys, Ennis and Jack who first meet on the titular mountain. The story went on to win awards, and was adapted into a multi-oscar-award winning film.

I scanned some of my life drawings I did at @jackshoulder.bsky.social “ hotties in art ” at paperxclips and reworked them after I scanned them Haven’t drawn on paper in so long and want to draw more penises obv #queerart

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 12 (1998) After being beaten, tortured and left for dead near Laramie on October 6, Matthew Shepard died from his injuries. Matthew's tragic murder brought attention to how hate crime was dealt with in the US. Mathew is memorialised on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honour.

At a loose end this Tuesday evening!? Come to Waterstones (Cork) at 18:30 as I chat with @jackshoulder.bsky.social about Hotties in Art, the very tasty successor to @museumbums.bsky.social. Let’s fall head over heels together for some of art’s finest specimens! www.waterstones.com/events/hotti...

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 11 (1954, 1987) 1954: Clever Jones, the person behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt was born #OTD. 1987: the AIDS Memorial Quilt made its first appearance on the National Mall in Washington. Over half a million people visited the quilt while it was on display.

Last night's Hotties in Art x Life drawing event at Paper x Clips was magic. Our model leafed through Hotties finding poses, and while we drew, I shared background, context and some fun facts about the work which inspired the pose. Id love to do more of these events (and come back to Belfast).

Bethany wore a “Protect The Dolls” t-shirt during rehearsals. The BBC posted it on their socials then quietly deleted and reposted it without showing her from the front. On TV last night they actually blurred the message #Strictly

Today is bookshop day. Go out and support your favourite bookshop. While you're there: pick up a copy of @ajwestauthor.bsky.social How Queer Bookshops Changed the World. It's an important read about spaces that literally changed the world.

#TodayInQueerHistory October 10 (1990) After writing a letter to management of London bar of Brief Encounters in September, asking them to rethink the "no gay kissing" policy, which was ignored, activist group Outrage hold a kiss in in protest.

#TodayInQueerHistory October 9 (1988) Nintendo release Super Mario Bros 2 for the US market. The game has a new character for the Mario Mythology: Birdo. Birdo is widely considered one of the earliest trans characters in videogame history.

Put googly eyes on ANYTHING and I'll bond with it.

Thank you everyone who came along to the Hotties launch at Bristol Waterstones! Thought provoking questions were asked and some great artwork was made inspired by our Hotties. Check out the link in bio for more Hotties Tour dates!

Eeeeeee! It's @jackshoulder.bsky.social 's #Bristol book launch 🥳🥳🥳 at Waterstones Bristol I'm so proud of him and the colossal amount of work he's put into "Hotties in Art" 🩷💙

#TodayInQueerHistory October 8 (1971) Campaign Against Moral Persecution (or CAMP) held Australia's first Gay Rights rally outside the Liberal Party's HQ in Sydney. They were supporting Tom Hughes who has spoken in favour of reforming law, one banner said these reforms "might help.".

On Saturday 10/10 the Hotties Tour is taking me to Belfast, to Paper x Clips, for a talk and a life drawing event. It'll be my first trip to Belfast and I'm so excited for this event. Tickets can be found at the link in bio.

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 7 (2020) Pussy Riot, the Russian Feminist Punk Collective hung Pride Flags from government buildings in Moscow. They said "the flags are our gift to Putin as a symbol of missing love and freedom" for queer people. The activists were arrested and fined for their actions.

He's beginning to feel a little bi-furious. 🐺 Vintage horror meets '90s teen flicks in I WAS A TEENAGE BISEXUAL, a one-of-a-kind, one-man beast touring in 2026. LONDON, 14-19 Oct NOTTINGHAM, 24 Oct SALE, 3 Nov WOLVERHAMPTON, 6 Nov 🎟 polisloizou.com/iwatb Thanks to @artscouncilengland.bsky.social

#TodayInQueerHistory Oct 6 (1989) Having grown to 10848 panels, and covering 14 acres of land, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed in its entirety at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. Today, the UD AIDS memorial quilt numbers over 50,000 panels, remembering over 110,000 people.

This Friday I'll be launching Hotties in Art in Bristol, at my local Waterstones. There will be chat and together we will be filling the store with art inspired by your favourite Hotties in art. You can get tickets at the link in bio.