On a recent Friday night, Lauren Pellerano Gomez started doing some research. Inspired by a particularly 90s photo of Princess Diana—short hair, long-sleeved T-shirt, high socks—she had been joking about with friends, she searched “Princess Diana looking gay.” She wanted to see if any of those hashtags or accounts existed. They didn’t. So she started her own account, featuring photos of Diana in outfits that would fit perfectly at a downtown L.A. lesbian bar—then or now.

Pellerano Gomez, a 28-year-old Cambridge, Massachusetts-based magazine editor who studied fashion at Parsons, knows that Diana did not identify, at least publicly, as queer. But, in her life, and the 20 years since her death, she’s become a queer icon, celebrated for her allyship of the gay community, her activism, and, of course, her untouchable style.

The account shows Diana with a tennis racket, having a ball in a bomber jacket, and looking dashing in a suit and bow tie, among other looks. In some, she is talking closely with other women, and in others, she just looks ready for a beach-volleyball match at Fire Island’s Cherry Grove or an Indigo Girls concert.

Pellerano Gomez, who was in elementary school when Diana died, talked with Vanity Fair about why she wanted to celebrate Diana with this particular account—and what she hopes the queer community gets from it.

Vanity Fair: Why did you want to do this?

Lauren Pellerano Gomez: I personally often assume that the histories are being written, or that things are being documented in real time, to reflect queer realities. Unless we’re doing it ourselves, no one else will do it for us. I made this account as a joke, and thought it would be something that I would share with a couple of friends or that I would do in secret. Then, in a couple of days, I had 200 followers and you contacting me.

Is anyone submitting, or is it all you right now?

No, I’ve only gotten two submissions. I want people to get creative with it and have fun. The whole point of it is it’s just light. It’s for comedic relief in a sad, dark time.

Did you start this account during Pride Month on purpose?

It was a coincidence—a happy coincidence—maybe subconsciously it was there, that it launched with Pride Month. It wasn’t strategic that it was then, but it was a happy coincidence that I was not mad about.

What is your personal connection with Diana?

She’s obviously an icon in terms of celebrity culture, pop culture, fashion. I didn’t grow up putting posters on my wall or anything like that. I’m not a do-or-die fan. I remember being part of the public consciousness growing up, and my mom being really into the whole royal family stuff as it went down. I was reminded of the whole legacy, given all of the fanfare over this royal wedding that just happened. People went crazy over this, and I didn’t watch the wedding—I don’t think it’s interesting. I remember Princess Diana’s impact feeling really big to me at the time. I thought, “Let’s throw it back to Princess Di. Let’s get her back in the conversation.”

Is this account at all a shout-out to her being a known friend and ally of the L.G.B.T.Q. community?

I think it could be interpreted that way. I think the account leads with aesthetics and humor, and it could be read in any number of ways. She’s definitely part of the queer lexicon.

Many of these photos are basically just a reflection of the era, of the 1980s and 1990s. How do you think that connects with queer fashion?

A crowning moment for me, in terms of the media, was a couple years ago when The New York Times published an article where they acknowledged that every single fashion moment comes from lesbian culture. I thought it was the most validating thing that ever happened in my whole life.

Lesbians always get the terrible rap for wearing flannel and Birkenstocks. Let’s not forget that flannel in the 90s—Kurt Cobain made every girl drool with that. And Céline adopted the Birkenstock-style line. It’s like, “Hello, can we get some credit?” Historically, gay men are seen as these icons, in terms of creating what style is.

How do you find these photos of Diana?

My first Google search was “Princess Diana looking gay,” and a couple of things like “Princess Diana vest,” “Princess Diana drama,” or I found her speaking very closely [with] another woman or looking androgynous. There’s one photo where she’s wearing those sweatpants and that hat? I just thought, “That’s a downtown Los Angeles lesbian.” How have we not seen this already everywhere? I used the caption, “Leaving my girlfriend’s house [like].”

What are some things that you hope this account does? What’s the final goal, if you have one?

I want people to laugh, and share with their friends if they think that it’s funny. I’m very open to whatever people want to submit in terms of meme-y stuff. I want to keep it light and fun. I want people to feel like they can engage in whatever way they want.