Out on An Island: the Island’s

OUT ON AN ISLAND

the Isle of Wight’s hidden LGBTQ+ history

February was LGBTQ+ History Month. Out On An Island celebrated with the release of its book, published by Medina Publishing

Franko Figueiredo Caroline Diamond Delivered by StoneCrabs Theatre and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Out on An Island is the first ever project dedicated to

Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ history. The book shines a light on the stories of struggle and truth shared through recorded oral histories, unearthing a public history and cultural heritage hidden for over a century.

Franko Figueiredo, Artistic Director for StoneCrabs, explains that “the book is a collaborative effort among

LGBTQ+ staff and volunteers. It was created in remarkable circumstances, and the result is an inspiring collection of interviews from LGBTQ+ people concerning their lives on the Island.”

The oral histories are shared in a matter-of-fact style, with accounts of homophobia, rejection and exclusion peppered with moments of joy and celebration. From beginning to end the stories stand as powerful testaments to human endeavour. While some of the LGBTQ+ community were proud to call the Isle of Wight their home, others feared discrimination, and were desperate to escape. Asked to comment on the book, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said, “Out On An Island is a brilliant oral history of LGBT+ communities and culture on the Isle of Wight: the persecutions, campaigns, defiance, solidarity and triumphs. Inspiring!” and novelist Patrick Gale thought it was “hugely impressive”. The book holds a wealth of fascinating information. It reveals the fruits of research into Isle of Wight LGBTQ+

people and places from the last one hundred years, contributions of personal stories and poems and stunning interviewee portraits by photographer Jon Habens. You can read about Virginia Woolf, Fergusons Gang, Joe Carstairs and Algernon Swinburne and the Island locations that connect them from Dimbola Lodge to East Cowes Classic Boat Museum. “It was like lifting up a large rock on the beach, we had no idea what would wriggle out from underneath,” says Project Manager, Caroline Diamond. Through the Out On An Island project, StoneCrabs aims to continue supporting LGBTQ+ people of all ages across the Isle of Wight to build bridges and reduce discrimination in the hope that everyone is treated with unconditional positive regard.

Accompanying the book is an exhibition displaying many of the project findings at Carisbrooke Castle Museum, daily from 19th February - 1st August 2022. The book can be ordered at medinabookshop.com

Driving ambition

There’s often a feeling that the stretch of water separating the Island from the mainland washes away ambition and drive in the Island’s youth. Luke Bailey, 17, is proving this very wrong.

Last month Luke made podium in a national Karting championships – a marker that he is taking a boyhood fun sport to the next level. “That was in a Top Novice competition. I’ve been karting for about seven years but it’s only in the past eight to nine months that it’s gotten serious,” he says. “Now

I’m competing at a regional/national level, at club championships around the country.”

Any sport that requires travel becomes expensive – but as Luke explains, the cost of karting can be stratospheric.

“You’ve got to transport your pod, you need to build your team, you’ve got travel costs,” he says. “I’m really lucky that I’ve got some sponsorship from my physiotherapist, Dan Noyes, and my gym, Evolution in Ryde, where I see my trainer Michael Cooper of Push Fitness.”

You might wonder why a young man driving a GoKart should need personal training and regular physio. “It’s a very physical sport. You get up to 2.5g

Luke with his trainer Michael Cooper through some corners, your kart weighs 177kilos, so that’s 2.5 times its weight on your body. That’s a lot of force.” The karts are as skeletal as they look. “The pods are thin plastic on a metal structure - a very basic chassis. There’s maybe half an inch between your seat and the ground.” Luke is exhilarated by the speed – he’s recorded up to 90mph – but also loves the technical aspect of the sport. “I’m very fortunate to be racing with mechanic Dave of DG Racing. We’ll walk the track to find the braking points, points that mark where I start to ease the throttle on again.” Such fine-tuned preparation is essential: “There’s maybe half a second’s difference between me qualifying in ninth position and the guy who won.” Now he’s started on the serious road of motorsport, there seems no limit to his ambition. “I love Karting but I want to be going on and up, into the Feeder Series and into British Formula 4 – single seater car racing. I want to race in the European Le Mans series, or the World Endurance Championships.” The only thing standing in his way will be lack of funding, and so when he isn’t at college, where he is studying graphic design, or at Ryde’s Evolution Gym or having his body rebuilt by Dan the physiotherapist, he researches sponsorship avenues. Clearly nothing is going to stand in the way of Luke’s ambitious drive to the top.

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