Goldsmiths is set to become the first university in the world to offer the chance to study queer history as a masters degree.

Based in New Cross, the university's world-first postgraduate course will begin next year.

A small number of universities in the UK offer postgrad qualifications in gender subjects, while some US institutions include queer studies as a minor.

But Goldsmiths will be the only university worldwide offering a specialist course dedicated to the subject.

It also hopes to create a fully accessible National Queer Archive for a new generation of academics studying the issue.

Professor Jan Plamper, course convenor, continues: "Through the study of history we can observe how LGBTQ narratives have developed across time, and critically explore the roots of the community.

"This helps build an understanding of one’s own story and identity in the present for those who consider themselves queer, but it also raises consciousness in everyone else."