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
- A SURPRISG SPECT EMERG IN DEATH OF OPENLY GAY COAL MER
- A STORY OF SOLIDARY: MERS AND THE GAY COMMUNY
- COAL MERS AND GAY ACTIVISTS PARTNER IN 'PRI'
- LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS
- BRISH COALMERS STRIKE WH A GAY COALN IN 'PRI,' A CROWD-PLEASER
WHEN MERS AND GAY ACTIVISTS UNED: THE REAL STORY OF THE FILM PRI
Learn more about the ath of Brad McGarry, a gay al mer om Oh who was killed by lover David Kney. * gay miners *
" 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. "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.
Cliff, an olr mer ( the film, a killgly funny and affectg Bill Nighy) appears the documentary sayg: "The lbians and gays have been super duper. One hope is that the film might revive polil tert bee the activism of the left has been siled, the tra unns are weak, gay rights issu aren't there.
"Mike marvels at how tim have changed for homosexuals the metropolan first world: "It is unbelievable, we have ma such progrs. And when he has to make a speech a gay bar wh a clientele whose look is more S&M than M&S, you fear for him – how is all gog to pan out?
A SURPRISG SPECT EMERG IN DEATH OF OPENLY GAY COAL MER
The 'Ps and Perverts" ncert was a benef gig anised by the London Lbian and Gays Support the Mers group. No one is que sure where the tle me om: origally thought to rive om a newspaper headle now seems more likely that was merely a parody of tabloid reprentatns of lbians and * gay miners *
Twenty-seven gay people ( the film is a dozen) slept on his floor – the morng, his six-year-old dghter "uldn't put her foot down". “But he showed that you n be an openly gay man and still be able to do physil labor like straight guys and that’s kd of what he was wantg to do is change the stereotype.
No one is que sure where the tle me om: origally thought to rive om a newspaper headle now seems more likely that was merely a parody of tabloid reprentatns of lbians and gay men. Not only did they brg their tra unn banners to the 1985 Gay and Lbian Pri Rally London, but they also helped ph through gay rights polici at the 1985 Labour Party Conference, the face of opposn om that Party’s Natnal Executive.
Dpe takg place nearly 30 years ago, the ‘Ps and Perverts’ story ntu to be told – and que rightly so sce was an important event Bra’s gay and lbian history. The South Wal mers’ strike of 1984-1985 saw the formatn of a cur alliance between a plucky group of young homosexuals om London and mers Dulais Valley.
A STORY OF SOLIDARY: MERS AND THE GAY COMMUNY
Lbians and Gay Men Support the Mers * gay miners *
In Dancg Dulais, an ial wars on the part of the young gays, the mers, and the mers’ fai giv way, through sometim lite teractns, to a lovg and purposeful solidary. Ma by, for and about young gay people, wh risg stars of the time Jimmy Somerville and Isaac Julien among a host of others, Framed Youth won the John Grierson Award for documentary. Mike Jackson om Lbians and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) talks about the spir of Pri, activism, solidary and their plans for the future.
LGSM (Lbian and Gay Support the Mers) supporters at PRIDE IN LONDON will form a tras unns solidary ntgent at the ont of BLOCK C.
At London’s Gay Pri March on 30 June, leftie activist Mark Ashton (played by Ben Schzer) argu that lbian and gay people should support the mers – for both groups are opprsed by the ernment and the tabloid prs.
COAL MERS AND GAY ACTIVISTS PARTNER IN 'PRI'
<strong>Alex von Tunzelmann:</strong> Gay mpaigners jo 80s Bra’s strikg mers this well-rearched film that still skips around thorny issu of socialism and a n- wh the Sun * gay miners *
”ActivismMark don’t get a lot of support immediately: a gay man om Durham rponds angrily that the mers ed to beat him up back home.
It do, however, make accurate nods to the historil ntext, quotg the notor words of Manchter chief nstable Jam Anrton scribg gay men “swirlg about a human csp of their own makg”, and showg the Department of Health’s Don’t Die of Ignorance mercial.
LBIANS AND GAYS SUPPORT THE MERS
* gay miners *
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 of Welsh mers whom had been touched by the overwhelmg generosy of the group, ‘Lbians and Gays Support the Mers’ or LGSM. Thanks to Mike Jackson and Mark Ashton, foundg members of LGSM, a llectn was formed to raise money to sta the mers and their fai, this money was llected at gay pubs and clubs as well as om buckets the streets.
LGSM stands to be one of the cleart acts of solidary gay history, stead of simply ignorg the issue, the muny band together to help another distrs. After the strike end, a motn was fally passed to place Gay and Lbian rights to the Labour party manifto, though this had been raised before, had never been approved due to a block vote om one key unn- The Natnal Unn of Meworkers. So, thanks to the selfls acts of solidary shown by the LGBT muny, the mers accepted placg gay rights to the Labour party’s agenda, statg their slogan, ‘Mers supports Gays and Lbians’.
Coal mers and gay activists — two groups that, 1980s England at least, you might have figured would steer clear of each other — partner surprisgly effectively the real-life story that's affectnately fictnalized Pri. In a when vast homophobia was expected and accepted, Lbians and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) drove a uple of mib and a mper van om London to Dulais, a small mg town South Wal, to prent their donatns an attempt to aid the mers’ efforts. ’ An LGSM member scribed how ‘a lot of mg muni have found out what police harassment is for the first time, which gay people have known about for years’.
BRISH COALMERS STRIKE WH A GAY COALN IN 'PRI,' A CROWD-PLEASER
To reunt the story of how gay activists joed forc wh Brish mers 1984-85, the creators of “Pri” tracked down participants and extracted their stori, warts and all. * gay miners *
Sian Jam scribed feelg that ‘we were next le after lbians and gays…you nnot sympathise wh an opprsed group until you’ve actually been a member of one’ Unlikely UnnIn the face of such adversy, ordator Mark Ashton enpsulated the aim of LGSM; ‘It is illogil to say: ‘I’m gay and I’m to fendg the gay muny but I don’t re about anythg else.
Tensns were high when the mg muny received news of the impendg arrival, yet the experienc were generally posive for both magaze Cy Lims scribed how LGSM members visg Dulais were weled to the mers’ hom for the weekend; whole fai discsed gay rights and sexualy ‘over the tea-table’.