Under Your Nose – The Story of the Black Lesbian & Gay Centre

Screening and Q&A at Peckhamplex

A screening of Under Your Nose – The Story of the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre, 2016 (82 mins), directed by Veronica McKenzie, followed by a Q&A with Veronica, former members of the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre and special guests.

In 1985, a group of activists came together with one aim: to open a centre for black lesbians and gay men. Against the backdrop of 1980s politics, the rise of Thatcherism and HIV/AIDS, they played a groundbreaking role in the struggle for lesbian and gay equality.

Under Your Nose is dedicated to the unsung trailblazers whose struggle in hostile and often dangerous times shaped the political landscape of the UK and offered a lifeline to many others. Their legacy is still apparent today.

This event is on the occasion of London’s newest Rainbow Plaque, which will be dedicated to the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre (BLGC) and unveiled in 2024.

Rainbow Plaques is a national scheme that identifies hidden and lost LGBTQIA+ heritage whilst highlighting the importance of the visibility of queer communities in our streets and public spaces. The scheme is supported by the Mayor of London’s Untold Stories Fund as part of his Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. With additional support from Wandsworth Oasis.

In partnership with London LGBT+ Forums’ Network, with kind assistance from Peckhamplex.

  1. After completing an MA in Screenwriting, Veronica worked as a Storyliner for Coronation Street, and a freelance writer. She set up Reel Brit Productions in 2010, and has co-produced shorts The Last Supper (2011), and ITSY (2017). Her feature documentary Under Your Nose (2017) has screened at numerous universities worldwide, and Nine Nights - her debut feature, won the (2019) Pan African Film Festival Narrative Feature Award in LA. She co-directed the short Monica Loose On A Cruise which was selected for BFI Flare 2019. Veronica completed Haringey Vanguard, a Black LGBTQ+ National Lottery Funded project (2020), and was part of the UK’s DIT Trade Mission to meet fellow filmmakers in Nigeria. She attended Cannes as a BFI ImPACT Producer (2022). More recently Veronica produced Ships, Passengers & Ports for the Royal Maritime Museum in celebration of Windrush 2023, along with other curated exhibitions.

  2. Produced and directed by Veronica McKenzie

    Editors: Julia Fecchio, Sotira Kyriacou
    Camera: Fahmida Islam, Onyeka Igwe, Paul McKenzie
    Production Assistants: Jackie Ferdinand, Susan Dennison
    Sound: Georgina @rubyfruits, Suzy Robins
    Voiceover: Samira Choudrey
    Rating: 18

Tickets £5.99, booking essential

Sunday 18 February 2024, 2–4 pm

Studio Voltaire
1A Nelsons Row
London SW4 7JR


Open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm.

Registered Charity No: 1082221. Registered Company No: 03426509. VAT No: GB314268026