Skittles links with Queer Britain on map sharing power of LGBTQ+ chosen families

This Pride season, confectionery brand Skittles is again joining forces with London’s Queer Britain museum to launch the Chosen Family Map, a digital map spotlighting eight London locations that reveal the role of chosen families across the city.

Throughout history, LGBTQ+ people have found sanctuary, joy, support and laughter in chosen families - groups bound not by blood but by community, solidarity and shared experiences.

The map is an online resource for young people to learn about London as a historically rich LGBTQ+ hub, bringing the past and present of the city to life. It gives people a new way to discover London’s LGBTQ+ history - whether from home, the university library, or as inspiration for a self-guided walk through the city.

This latest collaboration builds on the brand’s ongoing work with Queer Britain, with the map bringing to life powerful stories that spotlight how chosen families have long been, and continue to be, at the heart of LGBTQ+ joy, connection and acceptance.

The map features key locations in London. This includes Julius Caesar Taylor’s Molly House, a secret meeting place where queer men found community and safety in the 18^th century, Lytton Strachey’s former home, where the Bloomsbury Group would frequently socialise and the LGBTQ+ Traffic Lights in Trafalgar Square.

The launch will be supported by a £100k donation to Queer Britain from Skittles, helping the museum continue its work to reclaim, preserve and expand the UK’s LGBTQ+ archives.

Andrew Given, chief executive of Queer Britain, said: “Through our continued collaboration with Skittles we’ve been able to build on our work uncovering real-life examples of chosen family and bring this to people in new and meaningful ways.”

Emily Owen, senior brand manager at Skittles UK, added: “We know that the bonds formed between friends, communities and creative circles have always been a vital source of connection, support and joy.

“Chosen families have shaped LGBTQ+ life for generations, offering a powerful reminder that family is about shared experience as much as it is about where you come from. We’re proud to be launching the ‘Chosen Family Map’ this Pride, bringing stories of chosen family into the real world and inviting people to explore the places and the people, that have helped define what chosen family means today.”