A new, illustrated transport map which celebrates Gloucestershire's queer community is being unveiled this June 2025.
The illustrated map, called 'Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire', has been developed by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership, funded by Great Western Railway and features illustrations celebrating the 'stories, people and places that have shaped the county’s queer history'.
Created by local artist and University of Gloucestershire graduate, Sherina Steele, the map features 13 original portraits of local and historical LGBTQIA+ figures and landmarks – including the Forest of Dean's Olly Alexander, who is openly gay; King Edward II, who is believed to have been gay or bisexual; and The Coach and Horses pub in Gloucester, where the Pride in Gloucester celebration was originally conceived.
Around 2,000 maps are being distributed throughout Pride Month this June – and there's also a pop-up exhibition in the Platform 1 waiting room at Cheltenham Spa station featuring the full collection of all 13 illustrations.
The map forms part of a wider initiative to encourage inclusivity on the railways and promote safety, accessibility, belonging and representation across the public transport network, as well as the national Railway 200 celebrations marking 200 years of the modern railway by 'spotlighting underrepresented histories and communities within the rail network'.
Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership's executive director, Hannah McDonnell, said: 'This project is part of our wider commitment to ensuring the railway is a welcoming, safe and inclusive space for everyone.
'By sharing the stories of LGBTQIA+ people and places across Gloucestershire, we hope to inspire connection, pride and belonging, both within the community and among those who travel through it.
'Rail travel should be for everyone. Through this map and exhibition, we’re working to remove barriers, amplify underrepresented voices and build a more inclusive transport network rooted in the communities it serves.'
