Documenting Expression: Queer culture at Mansfield College

This LGBTQ+ history month, Mansfield JCR is excited to launch a new project for the college: ‘A Document of Expression: Queer Culture at Mansfield College’. This project will seek to curate a documented expression and understanding of how people within the LGBTQIA+ community at Mansfield (past and present) relate to, understand, and have experienced queer culture.

The college has courteously agreed to place the completed document in the college archives, for intellectual, academic, social, and historical use. Currently, nothing exists within the college archives that relates any knowledge or understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community at Mansfield, so this will be an exciting chance to make our mark going forward. 

The curation seeks to document both lived experiences and social understanding. As such, it will be open to many forms of expression. 

How can I contribute?

This document will seek to be a multi-dimensional recognition of queer culture. As such, we are looking for a range of submissions to be included. Just a few ideas…

Poetry
Artwork
Images or photographs (that either express your understanding of queer culture, or perhaps represent some direct queer events and people during your time here at Oxford) 
A short (500 words) anecdote or story of your experience of being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Maybe how this has changed? How coming to university opened up your expression?

If you have any other ideas, or perhaps want to suggest something that you might want to include, feel free to message the LGBTQ+ Officer (matthew.bowen@mansfield.ox.ac.uk).

As always, any submissions can be anonymised.