Democratic research into queer experiences at the University of Oxford, Brighton University and Bristol University from the 1970s onwards.

The stories of queer experiences at UK universities seem to be missing from current research in the social history of higher education. Research into queer history is an important tool for political and social progress 1. The term 'queer' can refer to 'nonheteronormative identities and sexualities' 2, which challenges dominant sexuality and gender discourse. Therefore, queer history could be viewed as a 'challenging' history. Universities are arguably well placed to confront challenging histories based on their function as places of 'discussion and debate'3. For these reasons, it seems that universities should reflect on their own queer histories. The research I propose will help them do this, by presenting a more comprehensive history of queer university students' experiences told by former students.