Sacha Coward: Queer as Folklore Q&A and Book Signing

Part of Gloucester Folk Trail 2026

Sunday 15 February 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm
📍 Proud Gloucester, King’s Square

Proud Gloucester is delighted to host a Q&A and book signing with author Sacha Coward as part of Gloucester Folk Trail 2026.

A celebration of queer history like you’ve never seen it before.

In Queer as Folklore, Sacha Coward journeys across centuries and continents to uncover the forgotten queer histories hidden within myth, legend, magic and fantasy. Drawing on images and research from archives, galleries and museums around the world, the book explores the unsung heroes, villains and outsiders of folklore — from ancient Greece to the glittering main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Along the way, readers encounter cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies, mythic creatures and the graves of the “queerly departed”. These stories reveal how queer communities have long found refuge in shadow worlds and underworlds, creating resilience, identity and survival through storytelling.

The unicorns, mermaids and fairy wings seen at Pride marches today are more than costume — they are powerful queer symbols with deep historical roots. To understand queer identity now, we must first confront the twisted and magical tales of the past.

🖊 Copies of Queer as Folklore will be available to purchase on the night, with an opportunity for signing after the Q&A.
📖 Please register your interest if you would like to reserve a copy.

This event is open to all and will take place in Proud Gloucester’s welcoming, inclusive LGBTQ+ venue.