Tom Hulme
@tomhulme.bsky.social
Historian @ Queen’s Uni Belfast
Author of Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation (Cornell 2026) & After the Shock City: Urban Culture & the Making of Modern Citizenship (Boydell 2019)
AHRC PI of Queer NI: Sexuality b4 Liberation
🏳️🌈
Author of Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation (Cornell 2026) & After the Shock City: Urban Culture & the Making of Modern Citizenship (Boydell 2019)
AHRC PI of Queer NI: Sexuality b4 Liberation
🏳️🌈
Pinned
*drum roll*
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!
I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
I’ve always claimed from home and never had any problem, but I live in the same small city in which I work
February 12, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I’ve always claimed from home and never had any problem, but I live in the same small city in which I work
This talk for @niscifest.bsky.social about homosexuality & psychiatry is now sold out (!) but I will be talking with @williamcrawley.bsky.social about the topic on tomorrow's Talkback on BBC Radio Ulster (at about 12:40pm) - www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
February 12, 2026 at 6:17 PM
This talk for @niscifest.bsky.social about homosexuality & psychiatry is now sold out (!) but I will be talking with @williamcrawley.bsky.social about the topic on tomorrow's Talkback on BBC Radio Ulster (at about 12:40pm) - www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
not new, but some thoughts for @royalhistsoc.org on teaching queer history in Northern Ireland: blog.royalhistsoc.org/2020/09/28/q...
Queer History in Northern Ireland – Tom Hulme | Historical Transactions
blog.royalhistsoc.org
February 12, 2026 at 6:12 PM
not new, but some thoughts for @royalhistsoc.org on teaching queer history in Northern Ireland: blog.royalhistsoc.org/2020/09/28/q...
had to open my first book after quite a while and came across this amazing photo from Manchester's 1938 centenary festival i'd totally forgotten! holy art deco bus!!!!
February 11, 2026 at 10:23 PM
had to open my first book after quite a while and came across this amazing photo from Manchester's 1938 centenary festival i'd totally forgotten! holy art deco bus!!!!
This is just so lovely. A reminder that there are still lots of good people about, even as the vicious & awful dominate the headlines, and that religious bodies can choose to be open and inclusive
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leicester Cathedral reveals sign language wedding held in 1576
Cathedral bosses believe the signed service could have been one of the first in England.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 11, 2026 at 12:07 PM
This is just so lovely. A reminder that there are still lots of good people about, even as the vicious & awful dominate the headlines, and that religious bodies can choose to be open and inclusive
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
@sophcocooper.bsky.social how cool is this?!
February 11, 2026 at 11:38 AM
@sophcocooper.bsky.social how cool is this?!
Reposted by Tom Hulme
FINALLY sitting down this evening with @leannecalvert.bsky.social's 2024 article on trans* histories of the family in 18th C Ireland and its absolutely 👌🌟 Also picking up more than a few further reading suggestions! doi.org/10.1080/1081...
‘Came to her dressed in mans cloaths’: transgender histories and queer approaches to the family in eighteenth-century Ireland
This article engages with queer and trans scholarship to produce a methodological think-piece on how to queer the Irish family. It draws on a case study of alleged crossdressing and attempted intim...
doi.org
February 10, 2026 at 5:33 PM
FINALLY sitting down this evening with @leannecalvert.bsky.social's 2024 article on trans* histories of the family in 18th C Ireland and its absolutely 👌🌟 Also picking up more than a few further reading suggestions! doi.org/10.1080/1081...
this was such an important source for me when I was writing my book: vital for reconstructing the familial networks of men arrested for having sex with men. brilliant to see it expanded!
Great to see a new tranche of records has been published on
on www.irishgenealogy.ie, so you can now access the following:
Birth records – 1864 to 1925
Marriage records – 1845 to 1950
Death records – 1864 to 1975
#IrishGenealogy #IrishFamilyHistory #Genealogy #FamilyHistory
on www.irishgenealogy.ie, so you can now access the following:
Birth records – 1864 to 1925
Marriage records – 1845 to 1950
Death records – 1864 to 1975
#IrishGenealogy #IrishFamilyHistory #Genealogy #FamilyHistory
Irish Genealogy - Explore your Family History
www.irishgenealogy.ie
February 10, 2026 at 9:41 AM
this was such an important source for me when I was writing my book: vital for reconstructing the familial networks of men arrested for having sex with men. brilliant to see it expanded!
Reposted by Tom Hulme
In case you missed it… my talk in Dublin with @tomhulme.bsky.social and @paraickerrigan.bsky.social ! youtu.be/CttFfqDEZpY?...
Love in the Lav: A Social Biography of Same-Sex Desire in Ireland, 1922-72 | Talk & Panel Discussion
YouTube video by Dublin City Heritage
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 12:18 AM
In case you missed it… my talk in Dublin with @tomhulme.bsky.social and @paraickerrigan.bsky.social ! youtu.be/CttFfqDEZpY?...
Reposted by Tom Hulme
How could I have possibly known that Peter Mandelson couldn't be 100% taken at his word, says Keir Starmer, about a man whose public nicknames include 'the Prince of Darkness' and 'the Dark Lord'
February 5, 2026 at 11:57 AM
How could I have possibly known that Peter Mandelson couldn't be 100% taken at his word, says Keir Starmer, about a man whose public nicknames include 'the Prince of Darkness' and 'the Dark Lord'
Reposted by Tom Hulme
@manchesterup.bsky.social are celebrating LGBTQ+ history month with related books at a 30% discount. Delighted to see that Eva Gore-Booth: Irish radical poet, rebel and reformer is available for preorder at this discount. In print on 3 March!
February 4, 2026 at 4:01 PM
@manchesterup.bsky.social are celebrating LGBTQ+ history month with related books at a 30% discount. Delighted to see that Eva Gore-Booth: Irish radical poet, rebel and reformer is available for preorder at this discount. In print on 3 March!
I think that’s perfectly acceptable - scheduling meetings to cover the whole of lunch time is a dick move
February 4, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I think that’s perfectly acceptable - scheduling meetings to cover the whole of lunch time is a dick move
Reposted by Tom Hulme
Our ‘Founding Cara-Friend’ exhibit will be in display at QUB’s McClay Library for LGBTQIA+ History Month, honouring Cara-Friend long-standing links to QUB! The exhibit is open to all — just ask at the front desk and find the display of portraits and materials in front of the short loan section!
February 4, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Our ‘Founding Cara-Friend’ exhibit will be in display at QUB’s McClay Library for LGBTQIA+ History Month, honouring Cara-Friend long-standing links to QUB! The exhibit is open to all — just ask at the front desk and find the display of portraits and materials in front of the short loan section!
Reposted by Tom Hulme
It should not require an act as morally repulsive & treacherous as leaking govt intel to an overseas pedophile sex trafficker who may also be a Russian spy to permanently end a political career.
Permanently banish anyone who deliberately or recklessly engages in ethical wrongdoing from public life.
Permanently banish anyone who deliberately or recklessly engages in ethical wrongdoing from public life.
February 4, 2026 at 1:55 PM
It should not require an act as morally repulsive & treacherous as leaking govt intel to an overseas pedophile sex trafficker who may also be a Russian spy to permanently end a political career.
Permanently banish anyone who deliberately or recklessly engages in ethical wrongdoing from public life.
Permanently banish anyone who deliberately or recklessly engages in ethical wrongdoing from public life.
Reposted by Tom Hulme
Politicians should not be treated like toddlers. A time out on the naughty step before being welcomed back is not an effective deterrent for adults who've deliberately or recklessly engaged in ethical wrongdoing. It's an encouragement for more violations - as demonstrated by Mandelson's career.
February 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Politicians should not be treated like toddlers. A time out on the naughty step before being welcomed back is not an effective deterrent for adults who've deliberately or recklessly engaged in ethical wrongdoing. It's an encouragement for more violations - as demonstrated by Mandelson's career.
Wow, this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! When I was writing the section of my book in which Tellier’s novel features, back in 2023/2024, I struggled to find much about him at all. Very cool to now read that painstakingly researched biography.
February 3, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Wow, this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! When I was writing the section of my book in which Tellier’s novel features, back in 2023/2024, I struggled to find much about him at all. Very cool to now read that painstakingly researched biography.
Piers always gives such beautiful talks, and this sounds like an amazing source: gay diaries from WWII-era Norwich!!
I'm excited to present some findings from my placement at the Norfolk Record Office. You can join remotely, so consider hearing about some sexy gay diaries over lunch!
🏳️🌈 Gay Life during the Norwich Blitz by Piers Haslam. Join us for our next lunchtime talk marking LGBT+ history month, either in person or online.
📅 Wednesday 11 February 2026
⏲️ 13:00-14:00
🎫 Free, booking essential norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/events-novem...
#norwichintheblitz #lgbthistorymonth
📅 Wednesday 11 February 2026
⏲️ 13:00-14:00
🎫 Free, booking essential norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/events-novem...
#norwichintheblitz #lgbthistorymonth
February 3, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Piers always gives such beautiful talks, and this sounds like an amazing source: gay diaries from WWII-era Norwich!!
jeepers. reinforces my sense that wider factors are making it difficult for any university to have a sustainable financial position, but some are truly screwed because of horrendous decisions (read: gambles) they made.
February 3, 2026 at 9:04 AM
jeepers. reinforces my sense that wider factors are making it difficult for any university to have a sustainable financial position, but some are truly screwed because of horrendous decisions (read: gambles) they made.
The stories of all these men - and many more - are told in "Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation"!
The book is available for affordable preorder now :)
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
www.waterstones.com/book/belfast...
The book is available for affordable preorder now :)
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
www.waterstones.com/book/belfast...
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
The stories of all these men - and many more - are told in "Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation"!
The book is available for affordable preorder now :)
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
www.waterstones.com/book/belfast...
The book is available for affordable preorder now :)
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
www.waterstones.com/book/belfast...
The colour-wash and font of the cover are inspired by two novels from the time that were widely shared among queer friends and allies in Belfast in the 1930s. Both of these books were published in New York, which tells us how N. Ireland was not necessarily cut off from burgeoning queer cultures.
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
The colour-wash and font of the cover are inspired by two novels from the time that were widely shared among queer friends and allies in Belfast in the 1930s. Both of these books were published in New York, which tells us how N. Ireland was not necessarily cut off from burgeoning queer cultures.
What I love about this photo is how it shows both the possibilities yet mundanity of queer life in Belfast at this time that is not captured in criminal records or newspapers. Arthur, Walter, & David got on because of their shared love of literature, & their friendship was not disturbed by the law.
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
What I love about this photo is how it shows both the possibilities yet mundanity of queer life in Belfast at this time that is not captured in criminal records or newspapers. Arthur, Walter, & David got on because of their shared love of literature, & their friendship was not disturbed by the law.
Walter was certainly a 'confirmed bachelor': he never left the family home, loved cruising, and had quite the camp sparkle. Arthur had a girlfriend but was just an open-minded chap (or what we might call an 'ally' today!).
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Walter was certainly a 'confirmed bachelor': he never left the family home, loved cruising, and had quite the camp sparkle. Arthur had a girlfriend but was just an open-minded chap (or what we might call an 'ally' today!).
Walter Smith, on the left, was born in 1898 and lived in south Belfast. His father worked in the linen industry as a clerk, and Walter followed him into the same occupation.
Arthur Fitzsimons, on the right, was born about a decade later, and had got to know Walter through a friend of a friend.
Arthur Fitzsimons, on the right, was born about a decade later, and had got to know Walter through a friend of a friend.
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Walter Smith, on the left, was born in 1898 and lived in south Belfast. His father worked in the linen industry as a clerk, and Walter followed him into the same occupation.
Arthur Fitzsimons, on the right, was born about a decade later, and had got to know Walter through a friend of a friend.
Arthur Fitzsimons, on the right, was born about a decade later, and had got to know Walter through a friend of a friend.
The photo was taken by David Strain - a linen merchant in his late 30s - in around 1935. All 3 were spending time at Strain's country hut out in the Co. Down countryside; a queer haven where they read each other the latest novels as well as old poetry, listened to records or chatted about lovers.
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
The photo was taken by David Strain - a linen merchant in his late 30s - in around 1935. All 3 were spending time at Strain's country hut out in the Co. Down countryside; a queer haven where they read each other the latest novels as well as old poetry, listened to records or chatted about lovers.