Participant Info

First Name
Norena
Last Name
Shopland
Country
United Kingdom
State
Affiliation
Ms
Website URL
inbowdragon.org/about-me/
Keywords
LGBT, Welsh women, Wales
Availability
Media Contact
Additional Contact Information
PhD
other credentials

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

Most of my adult career has been about history. I started off as an archaeologist working in this country as well brief stints in Ireland and Cyprus. I’ve worked for a variety of venerable organisations such as the British Museum, the Museum of London, National Museums Scotland and others.

I was awarded a grant by English Heritage to do an MA in Artefacts at University College London and subsequently wrote two books Archaeological Finds: An Identification Guide and An Archaeological Finds Manual.

Before long it was only natural I should get interested in LGBT history and worked for LAGNA, the Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive. I was also contracted to work with the Museum of London on their Reassessing What We Collect project and an oral history on women with HIV/AIDS at Positively Women in association with the British Library.

Having moved back to my native Wales I have worked almost exclusively on raising awareness of Welsh LGBT history which is very under represented in British LGBT history.

In 2012 I applied for a Heritage Lottery Fund to host the first LGBT exhibition in Wales. John Davies, the celebrated Welsh historian, gave his first speech on gay history. I also asked the National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, if she would write a poem. This is now the first poem that a National Poet, or Poet Laureate, of any country in the world has written celebrating the LGBT people of their country. Taking her inspiration from the Ladies of Llangollen Gillian wrote Sarah at Plas Newydd, July 5th 1788.

Since then I continue to specialise in the LGBT history of Wales. I sit on the Diversity Forum at Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales and work with other museum and archives raising awareness on the inclusion of equality and diversity in their collections. I also worked with Cardiff Story Museum on the Celebrating LGBT Cardiff exhibition.

I travel throughout the country giving talks and presentations. In July 2017 I gave a presentation at the House of Commons to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act (1967). I appear regularly on radio and TV.

Recent Publications

Forbidden Lives: LGBT stories from Wales, Seren Books

August 2017 Radio Wales – The Story of LGBT Wales

August 2017 Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales – A Story on a Plate: The Ladies of Llangollen

November 2017 Guest Blog for Wen Women Why History Matters to You

December 2017 Radio Cardiff   Forbidden Lives

January 2018 Wales Online These are the LGBT heroes who are said to have helped shape Welsh history  

January 2018 BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement

February 2018 Welsh Assembly ‘As a member of a minority – does your history matter?’

May-June 2018 The Gay & Lesbian Review Belated Vindication for John Boswell 

Summer 2018 The Welsh Agenda ‘Forbidden Lives’

 

Media Coverage
Country Focus
Wales
Expertise by Geography
England, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Expertise by Chronology
19th century, Early Modern, Modern, 20th century, 21st century
Expertise by Topic
Gender, Human Rights, Libraries & Archives, Local & Regional, Museums, Public History, Sexuality, Women