Over 5,000 items of our Cultures & Histories collection are now accessible online for free. All you need is your device and a little bit of inspiration to explore Queensland’s cultural and natural heritage.
Pride in Queensland
Queensland has a powerful history of Pride, shaped by the activism, creativity and resilience of LGBTQIA+ communities. Through significant objects in the State Collection, including those donated by organisations like Brisbane Pride, these stories continue to be preserved and shared.
Gilbert Baker pride flag
The pride flag is one of the most recognisable symbols of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The rainbow design was an act of protest and celebration by Gilbert Baker and other San Francisco artists in 1978, only two years after homosexuality was decriminalised in California. It featured eight symbolic colours: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic or art, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit.
To commemorate its 25th anniversary, Gilbert Baker created a flag of world record-breaking proportions, stretching over 2 km. It was made in the United States and then cut into pieces and gifted to pride organisations across the world, including Brisbane Pride. This portion of the flag was donated to Queensland Museum in 2025.
The flag has become a symbol of resistance, visibility, pride and community.
See the Gilbert Baker pride flag display on Level 2, Queensland Museum Kurilpa for the month of October 2026.
Representatives of Brisbane Pride donate the Gilbert Baker flag to Queensland Museum surrounded by LGBTQIA+ community at a celebratory event. Photograph by Atmosphere Photography.
Make a Scene: Fashioning Queer Identity and Club Culture in the 90s exhibition
Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Queensland Museum held an original exhibition that brought together fashion, pop culture and LGBTQIA+ lived experience.
Featuring extraordinary pieces from the museum's costume and fashion collections, Make a Scene revealed untold stories of Queensland's LGBTQIA+ communities and illuminated key moments from Brisbane's history. It highlighted the works of two distinctly different, but interconnected Brisbane-based labels – Mark Wilson's Hairy Dog, and Kenn Bushby and Chrissy Feld's Glamourpussy.
This exhibition was supported by the Queensland Human Rights Commission.
Make a Scene was a free exhibition, on display at Queensland Museum Kurilpa from September 2025 to July 2026. Photograph by Markus Ravik.
Explore the exhibition Virtual Tour
Making a Scene (film)
A kaleidoscopic collection of personal insights and reflections on the political and socio-cultural dynamics of the LGBTQIA+ community, club and dance party scene, and dress codes of the early 1990s. This short film featured in the Make a Scene exhibition.
Short film, 2025
Directed by Simon Woods
Duration: 34 mins 36 sec
Queensland Museum extends respect and gratitude to organisations and individuals across the LGBTQIA+SB communities for sharing their stories and objects with us. We extend our respects to those members of community who are no longer with us to share their stories, and for those that fought and continue to advocate for our human rights and equality.
Discover more
Social
history
Explore Queensland
Museum’s social history collection and our research into
Queensland’s recent past and contemporary society.
Image
library: Social history
Browse and download our collection of social history images.
Queensland
Museum Collection
Find out about our cultural and natural collections and explore thousands of specimens and artefacts online.
You might be interested in
Queensland
stories
Explore the rich and diverse stories of Queensland’s people, our contemporary life and identity, and places across our state.
Learn &
Discover
Learn from our experts and discover Queensland's natural and cultural history through articles, images, blogs and podcasts.
Collections &
Research
Since 1862, we’ve been dedicated to collecting and researching Queensland's unique natural and cultural heritage.