This report is by Joseph Price, one of our first year unrgraduate stunts. 35 years ago, on the 29th June 1985, London’s gay pri para received some very unlikely supporters who saw their duty to show their support for a muny who had helped them survive durg tumultuo tim. The supporters were b loads…
Contents:
- WHEN MERS AND GAY ACTIVISTS UNED: THE REAL STORY OF THE FILM PRI
- LGBT HISTORY MONTH: LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS, 1984-85
- PRI: A HEARTBREAKG BRISH COMEDY ABOUT THE TIME GAYS AND MERS WORKED TOGETHER
- LBIAN AND GAY PRI PARA, LONDON, JUNE 1985
- A STORY OF SOLIDARY: MERS AND THE GAY COMMUNY
- PROUD: THE FIRST GAY PRI LONDON
- LONDON LBIAN AND GAY CENTRE REFED GRANT – ARCHIVE, 1985
- LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS: PRI A LEGACY
WHEN MERS AND GAY ACTIVISTS UNED: THE REAL STORY OF THE FILM PRI
Lookg through our llectn for signs of the long stggle for gay rights. * gay pride 1985 london *
" He acknowledg now that this is a le you n only e once a pch and explas that he went on to tell the story of mers the Dulais valley South Wal durg the 1984-5 strike – the longt Brish history – and a gay and lbian group om London that donated more money (£11, 000 by December 1984) to their e than any other fundraiser the UK, along wh a mib emblazoned wh the logo LGSM: Lbians and Gays Support the a when a gree of homophobia was the norm, LGSM drove a uple of mib om Hackney Communy Transport and a clapped-out VW mper van to a bleak mg town South Wal to prent their donatns, uncerta what sort of wele to expect. Three years later and the film, shot Banwen, Wal, and London, and directed by Tony-wng Matthew Warch (rponsible for Matilda the Mil, and soon to be artistic director of the Old Vic), is might assume a rom about strikg mers and 80s gays was unlikely to be big box-office, but the same was probably said of Billy Ellt.
LGBT HISTORY MONTH: LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS, 1984-85
Pri, the wonrful new movie about a group of London-based lbian and gay activists who raised money for Welsh mers durg a major 1984-85 strike,... * gay pride 1985 london *
"In the homema LGSM documentary, we also glimpse a tall, handsome fellow wearg groovy leather troers, shakg a donatns bucket outsi Gay's the Word bookshop London's Marchmont Street – this is Jonathan Blake. As portrayed the 2014 film Pri, the small Welsh mg village of Onllwyn Neath Port Talbot was the settg for the seemgly unlikely llaboratn between a group of lbian and gay activists om London and strikg Welsh mers and their fai durg the year-long UK strike 1984-85.
PRI: A HEARTBREAKG BRISH COMEDY ABOUT THE TIME GAYS AND MERS WORKED TOGETHER
* gay pride 1985 london *
Followg an ial bucket llectn for strikg mers at the June 1984 Gay Pri march, Lbians and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) was formed July 1984 after a reprentative om the South Wal Natnal Unn of Meworkers me to speak at a meetg at the Universy of London Stunt Unn.
Perhaps more importantly, the Natnal Unn of Meworkers block vote rried a motn to support equal rights for gay men and lbians at the Labour Party nference Bournemouth later that year.
LBIAN AND GAY PRI PARA, LONDON, JUNE 1985
This right-hand figure this prt is Samuel Drybutter, a bookseller Wtmster Hall, who was a public figure 18th century London, famo for his flamboyant drs and supposed homosexualy. But they began as tensely polil events, challeng to a world where homosexual activi were first Gay Pri march took place London on 1 July 1972, spired by the 1969 Stonewall Rts New York.
A STORY OF SOLIDARY: MERS AND THE GAY COMMUNY
Wh the slogan 'Lbians and Gay Men Come Out On the Streets', Pri was an opportuny for LGBT Londoners to show their strength and numbers, and show "the posive si of the beg gay: GAY IS FUN; GAY IS PROUD; GAY IS BEAUTIFUL!
PROUD: THE FIRST GAY PRI LONDON
The badg celebratg Pri and gay activism were created durg the 1970s and 80s, when wearg them on the streets was a powerful and dangero polil statement, sometim met wh abe or vlence.
Unr the legislatn, lol thori were prohibed by law om 'promotg homosexualy by teachg or by publishg material', effectively banng help for LGBT people om schools, librari, and muny groups. The lours reprent: red for life, orange for healg, yellow for sun, green for nature, blue for harmony (or art) and purple for necklace was bought by a gay man at one of the first London Gay Pri march he attend, about 1985. They reflect the difficulty of livg a London where beg gay uld e you to be sacked om a job, publilly shamed, or even silver earrg is the shape of a double-head axe lled a labrys.
LONDON LBIAN AND GAY CENTRE REFED GRANT – ARCHIVE, 1985
The Francis Goldg llectn clud a first for the mm: the sus that he and his partner, Dr Satish Padiyar, wore their civil partnership ceremony 2006 - both a tone of public acceptance for homosexualy, and a remr that marriage equaly for lbian and gay people was not achieved until the law was changed 2013. Gay Pri March, subsequently re-brand as Pri March and now Pri Paras (see Pri) have been held London sce the early 1970s, normally on the neart Saturday to 28 June, the anniversary of the Stonewall rts.
LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS: PRI A LEGACY
1971: There was a small march 1971, anised by the GLF youth Group, startg wh a Gay Day Hy Park and then a march down Oxford Street and Regents Street to Trafalgar Square. Pri, the wonrful new movie about a group of London-based lbian and gay activists who raised money for Welsh mers durg a major 1984-85 strike, is a love letter to solidary, a powerful force that we still talk about si the LGBTQ muny but rarely act upon.