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A Queer Takeover of ‘Expecting’

, –
  • Free
  • Festival
  • British Sign Language interpreted
  • Hearing loop
  • Limited audio description
  • Relaxed
  • Wheelchair accessible
Four people are either side of a table. One is standing and unrolling a long scroll of paper.
A Visitor Experience Tour of Expecting Exhibition, Gallery Photo: Steven Pocock. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

What you’ll do

Join us for a day of activities exploring LGBTQIA+ experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and family-making.

You’ll be invited to take a guided tour of the 'Expecting' display, join a facilitated conversation about queer issues related to the exhibition, and participate in a creative workshop to make your own protective scroll or zine inspired by themes of queer family-making and medieval aesthetics.

The festival may cover topics such as fertility and infertility, pregnancy, childbirth and loss.

If you'd like a break from the activities at any point in the day, you can head to our Chill-Out Room to lie down or relax. There will be low lighting, comfortable seating, cushions, mats, ear defenders, earplugs and sensory toys.

A BSL interpreter will be available throughout the day. Please ask a member of staff if you need support. 

Some activities have limited places and require a free ticket, others don't need booking and you can drop in at any time.

Scroll down for details of all activities and to book your tickets.

Dates

, –

Events

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  • Gallery tour
Tour of 'Expecting'
Gallery 3
Join a guided tour of ‘Expecting: Birth, Belief and Protection’ through a queer lens. We'll explore contemporary and historical experiences of LGBTQIA+ pregnancy and childbirth. Places are limited, so please book a ticket to join the tour.
Check for tickets

Tickets via Eventbrite

  • British Sign Language interpreted
  • Hearing loop

–

  • Workshop
Protective Scroll Workshop
The Studio
This workshop begins with a facilitated conversation about queer experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and family making. You’ll then have the opportunity to create and share your own protective scroll, inspired by the medieval scroll featured in the display. All materials will be provided. Places are limited, so please book a ticket to attend the workshop.
Check for tickets

Tickets via Eventbrite

  • British Sign Language interpreted
  • Hearing loop
  • Limited audio description

–

  • Session
Collections Display
The Forum
Take a look at our display of collection items relating to pregnancy and childbirth. A facilitator will be available if you have any questions. Drop in any time – no need to book.
Just turn up
  • Relaxed

–

  • Workshop
Queer Medieval Zine Club
Reading Room
Join a special edition of Zine Club inspired by the 'Expecting' display. All materials for making your own zine will be provided, including resources exploring themes of queerness and medieval aesthetics. Join the workshop anytime – no need to book.
Just turn up
  • Relaxed

Need to know

Location

This is an event with several different activities. Check specific sub-events for their locations.

Place not guaranteed

Booking a ticket for a free, in-person event does not guarantee you a place. You should aim to arrive 15 minutes before the event is scheduled to start to claim your place. If you do not arrive on time, your place may be given to someone on the waiting list.

Waiting list

If this event is fully booked, you may still be able to attend. We will operate a waiting list, which opens 30 minutes before this event starts. Arrive early, and we’ll give you a numbered ticket. If there are any unfilled places just before the start time, we will invite you to enter in order of ticket number.

British Sign Language interpreted

This event will have British Sign Language interpretation.

Hearing loop

There will be a hearing loop at this event.

Limited audio description

The host and speakers will describe themselves and key visual elements they refer to. There will not be a separate audio description track.

Relaxed

This is a relaxed event, which means that if you need to, you are welcome to move around and make noise at any time.

Wheelchair accessible

This event is wheelchair accessible, which means people in wheelchairs can access the location with relative ease.

For more information, please visit our Accessibility page. If you have any queries about accessibility, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call

Our event terms and conditions

About your facilitators

Black and white photo of the head and shoulders of a young woman. Her head is tilted to one side, she is smiling and looking at the camera.

Rebekah Lindo

(she/her)

Rebekah is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection. She's interested in exploring the connection between creativity and the self, and has a background in biomedical sciences and science communication.

A person with short dark hair is facing the camera against a plain white background, wearing a dark knitted vest over a striped button-up shirt.

Aleks Jagielski

(He/Him)

Aleks is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection and a writer with background in community engagement. Outside of Wellcome, he works with the Museum of Transology.

Jake Blackavar

(he/they)

Jake is a Visitor Experience & Engagement Facilitator at Wellcome Collection. They take a question-led approach to gallery tours and lead a range of creative workshops. Jake also helps run ‘Conversations about Death’, an ongoing series of events at Wellcome Collection that fosters open discussion around tender subjects.