Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains – John Grindrod

Sun 11 October, 2026 at 3:00 pm

Throughout LGBTQ+ history, suburbia has been seen as somewhere to escape from: a place where heterosexuality rules; where difference will not be tolerated; where you’ll never find a soulmate. But for many, those streets were, and still are, a place to call home.

Tales of the Suburbs explores the twentieth century tales of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people in small towns and suburbia. Through remarkable archive material and original interviews, social historian John Grindrod reveals stories that are messy and moving, dark and funny, uplifting and extraordinary. Together, they reclaim suburbia as a space for all – or those that want it – where counter-cultural expression thrives and queer love and friendship bloom against the odds.

John Grindrod is a social historian of modern places. His books include Iconicon: A Journey Around the Landmark Buildings of Contemporary Britain, and Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain.