Colchester Pride presents: The Power of Queer Storytelling
Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month
📍 The Dragonfly Lounge, Colchester
🗓️ Tuesday 24 February 2026
🕖 Doors open: 7:00pm
🎤 Event starts: 7:30pm
🎟️ Free to attend
Join Colchester Pride for a powerful and inspiring evening exploring the importance of queer stories.
This special LGBTQ+ History Month event brings together literature, performance, local history to celebrate the voices that have shaped – and continue to shape – queer culture in Colchester and beyond.
✨ What to expect:
- A talk on the history of Colchester Pride, exploring its beginnings, growth, and impact on the local LGBTQ+ community
- Author talk, Q&A and book signing with Christopher Stephens
- Discussion of his acclaimed book The Light of Day, which tells the story of the first man to come out at the dawn of the gay liberation movement
- Fabulous live performances from drag sensation Aria Close
- Poetry and spoken word from local poet Jesse Smith
- A warm, inclusive space to reflect on LGBTQ+ history through storytelling, art, and community
Whether you’re interested in queer history, love live performance, or want to learn more about Colchester Pride’s journey and impact, this is an evening of connection, reflection, and celebration not to be missed.
🖋️ About the Author: Christopher Stephens
Christopher Stephens is a writer, editor, and cultural commentator whose work focuses on LGBTQ+ history, identity, and representation. He is widely respected for his ability to combine rigorous historical research with deeply human storytelling, bringing overlooked queer lives into the light.
His writing often explores the emotional and social impact of being openly gay in eras when visibility carried significant personal risk. Through interviews, archival work, and narrative reconstruction, Christopher gives voice to those who helped pave the way for modern LGBTQ+ rights.
📚 About the Book:
The Light of Day
The Light of Day tells the extraordinary true story of the first man to publicly come out in Britain at the dawn of the gay liberation movement.
Set against a backdrop of social stigma, criminalisation, and political change, the book explores what it meant to live openly as a gay man at a time when doing so could cost you your job, your safety, and your family. It is both a historical account and a deeply personal portrait of courage, loneliness, resilience, and hope.
The book has been praised for:
- Shedding light on a pivotal but often forgotten moment in LGBTQ+ history
- Blending biography, social history, and emotional insight
- Offering powerful reflections on how visibility can drive change
Copies of The Light of Day will be available on the night, with the opportunity for attendees to have their books signed by the author.
🏳️🌈 About Colchester Pride
Colchester Pride works year-round to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities, support the local community, and amplify queer voices through events, education, and visibility. This special History Month event is part of Colchester Pride’s ongoing commitment to preserving and sharing our local queer heritage.