State Library of QLD’s Incredible Rainbow Research Fellowship Is Now Open For Applications

State Library of Queensland’s Rainbow Research Fellowship is now open for applications — and if you’re an LGBTQIA+ Queenslander with a passion for storytelling, history and community — you should definitely be applying.

Now in its fourth year, the prestigious $20,000 fellowship is part of the Queensland Memory Awards and was created to support research into the rich and often overlooked histories of Queensland’s LGBTQIA+ communities. 

More than just funding, the fellowship provides the recipient with a personal workspace at the Neil Roberts Research Lounge at State Library of Queensland, premium access to the library’s vast collections, and the guidance of expert staff for a full year.

Queering the Lens: Meet the 2025 fellows

Dr Marion Stell and Professor Celmara Pocock — recipients of the 2025 Rainbow Research Fellowship — say the opportunity has been transformative, both professionally and personally.

Their joint project, titled Queering the Lens: Cross-Dressing in Family Photograph Albums, dives into a collection of family photo albums from the 20th century to explore how cross-dressing has been historically documented — and more often, erased — in the public archive.

“Serendipitous searches of the State Library of Queensland catalogue – and a bit of an inkling from our queer sensibilities – allowed us to quickly find some starting images for the project,” says Dr Stell.

Through their work, the duo is recovering hidden images of people joyfully engaging in cross-dressing, often masked under the guise of humour or performance in family snapshots. Their research highlights how these images — frequently dismissed as playful party photos or quirky dress-ups — may actually reflect deeper stories of gender nonconformity and queer expression.

“In the 20th Century, cross-dressing was regarded as both deviant and immoral (when conflated with queer sexuality and gender) and as a widespread and socially-embraced form of entertainment (when viewed as a humorous or celebratory diversion),” their fellowship project notes.

But as Stell and Pocock point out, this dual framing has meant that many such photographs were filed away under headings like “birthday party” or “school social” — leaving their queer cultural significance unacknowledged.

“We’ve been busy lifting the lids on archive boxes and tenderly opening fragile covers of family albums,” Stell explains. “It’s been fascinating to read these photographs anew and to queer the lens, finding the mischief of crossdressing in twentieth century Queensland.”

Their research is not only rewriting parts of the state’s photographic record but is also bringing long-overdue visibility to LGBTQIA+ lives, identities and stories once thought to be lost.

The Rainbow Research Fellowship exists precisely to support projects like this — ones that look beyond the surface, ask bold questions, and ensure LGBTQIA+ voices are preserved and celebrated in the historical record.

Other fellows have explored queer literature, LGBTQIA+ activism in regional Queensland, and oral history archives. Each project contributes to a growing body of work that ensures future generations will know that queer people have always been part of the fabric of Queensland life.

Think, drawing on your own lived experience and connection to community — and think BIG.

And don’t let that imposter syndrome get ya, babe — State Library of Queensland encourages people of all backgrounds, identities, and levels of research experience to apply.

You don’t need to be a professional historian or academic to apply — just someone with a strong idea, a passion for the past, and a drive to help shape the state’s future LGBTQIA+ memory.

For LGBTQIA+ people interested in archives, community storytelling or uncovering what lies beneath the surface of traditional history, the Rainbow Research Fellowship is a rare and valuable chance to contribute to a more inclusive understanding of who we are and where we’ve come from.

To apply or learn more, visit slq.qld.gov.au/qma, but be quick — applications close 1 August 2025.