Gay Liberatn Front - LGBT Archive

Contents:

• GAY LIBERATN FRONT UK
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT
• LONDON GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO 1971
• THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT
• THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT
• THE ARE THE RADIL ROOTS OF BRISH GAY PRI
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT ACTIVISTS ON THE FIRST UK PRI
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT: LOOKG BACK AT THE REVOLUTNARY LGBTQ GROUP 50 YEARS ON
• UNTEND NSEQUENC: THE LEGACY OF THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT

GAY LIBERATN FRONT UK

WHEN: Wednday, 5th October, 6pm – 8pm WHERE: Queer Circle, BUILDING 4, 3 BARTON YARD, SOAMES WALK, DESIGN DISTRICT, SE10 0BN WHAT: Gay Liberatn Front and Queer Night Pri ve you to our next strategic actn planng meetg.

21 – Lnch of ‘Revolutnary People’s Constutnal Conventn’ LIVE-STREAMED FROM SPITALFIELDS ON Saturday/Sunday 15/16 May 2021 at The Bishopsgate Instute, a ticketed ee event arranged by the GAY LIBERATION FRONT““We are the Gay Liberatn Front, ….

The Gay Liberatn Front and iends v you to ‘Fuck Off This is My Culture 6 – 50 Years of Pri Special’ on Saturday June 25th 2022 celebratn of Gee Michael and everyone standg up for sexual eedom everywhere.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT

July 1st 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the first Pri anised and led by the Gay Liberatn Front (GLF) and July 2nd is the 50th anniversary ‘Pri’ march anised by ‘Pri London’ are we gonna do about ? Amazg archivg work by the one and only Stef Dickers, Rachel Smh and all at the Bishopsgate Instute see all on the Bishopsgate Instute webse here Come Together: Gay Liberatn Front About this Archive The newspaper of the Gay Liberatn Front, Come Together, was formed by the GLF’s Media Workshop 1970.

Image source, Peter Tatchell / Jamie GarderImage ptn, The first Lbian and Gay Pri march central London, on 1 July 1972, was anised by the Gay Liberatn FrontFifty years ago about 2, 000 people took part London's first official Lbian and Gay Pri event, as part of a prott agast how the police treated that muny. Policg PriImage source, Peter Tatchell / Jamie GarderImage ptn, The first Lbian and Gay Pri march through central LondonImage source, Peter Tatchell / Jamie GarderImage ptn, Pri protters gathered Trafalgar Square on 1 July 1972The first Lbian and Gay Pri event the UK, on 1 July 1972 was a relatively small affair, although s roots are a gatherg a few away Highbury Fields held November tumn some 150 members of the Gay Liberatn Front (GLF) held a torchlight vigil to prott agast police harassment of gay people.

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, The GLF march of the early 1970s were staged prott at police harassment of gay peopleImage source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Lbians played a key and very visible role GLF march throughout the 1970s and 80sPeople like Andrew Lumsn, who attend the first London Pri march 1972, saw those events as the begng of a huge change.

LONDON GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO 1971

The feelg was that we had broken down a barrier that was put ont of that said, 'you mt not be out, you mt not be seen', " he ptn, Stuart Feather and Andrew Lumsn took part the first London Pri march 50 years agoMr Lumsn, who will be marchg alongsi some of the origal Gay Liberatn Front members this year, says was also about fyg the anti-gay tablishment. Policians at PriImage source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Prime Mister Boris Johnson, then London mayor, at the 2008 Pri marchWhile the first march may have been held fiance of policians, 's somewhat different the days - every directly elected London mayor has attend Pri at some the 1980s, Pri foced on the Aids crisis and the troductn of Sectn 28, which saw the Conservative ernment of the day ban the promotn of homosexual liftyl schools. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, UK Black Pri 2019 - a celebratn of LGBTQ+ people of lourOthers have been dismayed at events that have taken place at Pri, cludg when members of the lbian and femist group Get The L Out gathered at the start of the para actns of the protters - scribed at the time as bigoted by Pri London - reflected, though, that there are those who wish to separate the "LGB" om the "T", argug that transgenr rights n impge on the rights of gay people, pecially s of solidary, 's fair to say there is an creasg number of people who feel the event has lost s way - that the culture around the Pri march and the rabow flag don't reprent them.

Last year, some of the origal Gay Liberatn Front protters - cludg human rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell - held a Reclaim Pri to the origal route of the 1972 march, they lled for the return to the origal pot of Pri, as a celebratn of and a prott support of LGBTQ+ rights, whout the morn-day rporate sponsorship and mercialism. On the 4th July Lbians and Gay Men om the Matache Society New York, rponse to the rts, staged a walk-out and moved to the Alternative Universy Greenwich Village where they found what beme the Gay Liberatn Front. “Not only did liberatnists go to Philalphia to show solidary wh the black movement, but was there that Huey Newton as lear of the Panthers, first gave clear support of the Gay Cse, sayg that homosexuals were maybe the most opprsed people of Amerin society, and uld well be the most revolutnary.

On 13th November, GLF ma the first ever, public monstratn the UK by lbians and gay men at Highbury Fields, Islgton, to prott the e of “pretty policemen” agent provotrs ed by the police to entrap gay men to attemptg acts of gross cency, a standard police practice and an easy way for them to crease the figur for crime tectn and prosecutn. An Anti-Psychiatry Group foced on analysg and attackg the Psychiatric Establishments wholale acceptance of Juo Christian prejudice, Biblil thory, and the e of electric shock/emetic dg programm on gays and lbians who did not f , or who were found guilty of breakg the law. An Actn Group anisg public GLF danc held lol town halls, and later the Gay Days the parks, an Office Collective, and the Steerg Group, later the Co-ordatg Commtee to n the Wednday night General Meetgs.

THE GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT

But gay men don’t need to opprs women orr to fulfil their own psycho-sexual needs, and gay women don’t have to relate sexually to the male opprsor, so that at this moment time, the et and most equal relatnships are most likely to be between homosexuals.

In all about a hundred gay men and lbians were active the var GLF Groups, while by mid-January, ’71 there were up to five hundred people a week attendg the General Meetg, which suggts that many thoands of gay men and lbians passed through the doors.

David Rben’s book, “Everythg you wanted to know about sex – but were aaid to ask”, which claimed to tell ndid facts whilst avoidg moral judgement and the sectns on gays and lbians ntaed referenc to light bulbs, cucumbers, and the e of wire at hangers for abortns. Consistent monstratns agast the psychiatric tablishment and raids on their nferenc where GLF took over the agenda eventually lead to the overthrow of the ia that homosexualy was a medil ndn. At the end of ’71 ser spls were occurrg between the men who saw ‘g out’ as only the first step the transformatn of gay men and the send the nontatn wh the social ials of masculy, and sexism, whilst followg the Manifto aim of movg toward munal livg.

THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT

Opposg them were the men who ignored the Manifto, refed to acknowledge their heterosexist quali, were learng to mpaign on sgle issu, but need, as straight men do, an anised stcture which to operate, one that gay lib was liberately signed not to provi. In June me the first issue of ‘Gay News’ published by a group ntag many 'straight gays' om the GLF Actn Group, and immediately laid down a format for savg the natn om the screamg red queens and faggots of gay lib. One of the great legaci of GLF was that when HIV/Aids was intified there already existed groups, and works of dividuals who had been part of, or been touched by, the forever ongog sexual revolutn begun by the Gay Liberatn Front.

By the example of GLF the new activists HIV/Aids were able to immediately challenge the attus towards gays of the medil orthodoxy and quickly took over the entire culture surroundg the panmic. It was at this pot the emergence of a divi wh the gay activist movement occurred maly due to a difference iologi, after which a number of groups cludg Organisatn for Lbian and Gay Actn (OLGA), Stonewall Equaly Limed (which foced on lobby tactics), the Lbian Avengers and OutRage! Image source, Alamy/MirrorpixImage ptn, Stuart Feather (left), drag, is bundled to a police r durg a gay-rights prott, 1971It's 1972 - the swgg '60s are over, the mers' strike has turned off the lights and Donny Osmond is toppg the charts wh Puppy Love.

It will be another 20 years before same-sex attractn is classified as a mental illns and, spe homosexual acts beg crimalised, 1967, the age of nsent remas five years olr than for heterosexual upl.

THE ARE THE RADIL ROOTS OF BRISH GAY PRI

Frh om protts llg for the age of nsent to be lowered, the year before, members of the Gay Liberatn Front are planng a new march - not only mandg change and equaly but celebratg who they, although they do not yet know , the ripple effects will still be felt s UK's first Pri prott is about to be born. "'It was brilliant - the eedom, the abily to be yourself' - Bce's storyImage ptn, Bce Bayley first realised he was gay when he began studyg the GLF for his thisFor Bce Bayley, the ncept of a gay-pri march was different om that of prev polil march. 'There was a sense of nghts' - Shân's story Image source, BBC JOSH PARRYImage ptn, Shân Veillard-Thomas joed the Gay Liberatn Front after meetg her first girliend and nng away om homeWhen Shân Veillard-Thomas joed the GLF, she had jt met her first girliend and n away om home.

"'The gay manifto' - Roz's storyImage source, BBC NEWSImage ptn, Roz Kaveney was volved wrg the first GLF maniftoIn the tumn of 1971, when she met the GLF, Roz Kaveney was 22 and had already e out as transgenr, what she scribed as a "ighteng time". Image source, BBC newsImage ptn, The Gay Liberatn Front manifto mand legal and societal chang for LGBT people"It was for everyone whether they are black, whe, trans, cis - not that that language was available to at the time - straight and gay, marchg together to the 'glor liberated future', " Roz says. "And parts of rema valid many of the GLF, Roz ntued mpaigng, marchg agast Sectn 28 of the Lol Government Act 1988, which effectively banned homosexualy beg tght schools and was repealed 2003, and for 2004's Genr Regnn Act, which enabled trans people to legally change the genr on their birth source, Jamie GarderImage ptn, Human-rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell (ont centre) joed the GLF aged 19 and attend the first UK pri MarchThe GLF will re-create that first Pri prott, on Friday, settg off om St Mart's the Fields, near Trafalgar Square, at on this story.

Although cril of the misogyny and homophobia of the “straight left”, posned the LGBT stggle as part of the broar anti-palist, anti-imperialist movement, strivg for the emancipatn of all humankd. It n easily be seen that homosexuals don’t f to the stereotyp of mascule and feme and this is one of the ma reasons why we bee the object of spicn, sce everyone is tght that the and only the two rol are appropriate…. Other protts clud placg stickers books that portrayed homosexualy a negative way, s-s pubs that refed to serve anyone wearg a GLF badge, and releasg mice at the lnch of the Natnwi Ftival of Light at the Methodist Central Hall, Wtmster.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT ACTIVISTS ON THE FIRST UK PRI

There are two important aspects that ntributed to the rise of this LGBT neighbourhood East London: the excln of women om the male-domated Gay Liberatn Front and the rise of squattg the ’s excln om the Gay Liberatn FrontThe 1970s saw the emergence of the morn LGBT activist movement around the world.

Alongsi providg rourc for the LGBT muny, cludg a telephone helple and natnal newspaper, and mpaigng agast homophobic polici, the GLF also uned a large LGBT muny and enuraged pri rather than shame. Sourc‘Broadway Market’, (2018) Wall, ‘Sisterhood and Squattg the 1970s: Femism, Hog and Urban Change Hackney’ (2017)‘The East End women who fought for gay rights’, (2020) Re, ‘“Takg Your Polics Serly”: Lbian History and the Women’s Liberatn Movement England’ (2009)MayDay Rooms, ‘Squattg is a part of the Hog Movement: Practil Squattg histori om 1968 to 2019’‘Sisters Uncut ‘Reclaim’ Empty Council Home and Transform It Into Communy Centre’, (2016). Two Brish activists, Aubrey Walter and Bob Mellor, hopped on a plane and arrived jt time to attend the Black Panther's Revolutnary Peopl' Conventn – where, for the first time, an vatn was extend to legatns om the movements for women's and gay rights.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT: LOOKG BACK AT THE REVOLUTNARY LGBTQ GROUP 50 YEARS ON

A month later they were back home foundg the London branch of the GLF a basement of the London School of Lumsn is passnate that this history not be fotten: "Our Gay Liberatn starts the Black Panther movement. " This is echoed by Stuart Feather, another of the early Brish GLF activists: "We lled ourselv the Gay Liberatn Front, like you'd read about a Front for the liberatn of Palte, or Wtern Sahara.

UNTEND NSEQUENC: THE LEGACY OF THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT

Photo: Ray Malone It is pursu of exactly that goal that the GLF – s after origally disband – has the 17th of June, 2019, almost exactly 50 years after Stonewall, a crowd of gay, lbian, trans, non-bary and queer activists gathered at Trafalgar Square, the se of the first London Pri march 1972. The origal GLF mands, drafted by John Chterman, were read out – and several morn on add, focg on Pri once aga fg self as a prott, ee and accsible to all, wh environmental Pollard spoke furly about how Pri London had llaborated wh the arms manufacturer BAE Systems, allowg the pany to "pkwash" s diversy brandg while makg billns sellg weapons to profoundly homophobic, misogynist and thorarian regim such as Sdi Lumsn stck a more nciliatory tone after the event, sistg that the volunteers at Pri London are all "betiful and sensive people who unrstand the need for change and are tryg – fs and starts – to work wh . Queer culture and imagatn are yet aga beg exploed, -opted and gentrified – and our ternalised homophobia and low self-teem are beg manipulated so that we ourselv are actually ma part of that procs.

Amid the outfs and the parti and the joy, 's worth rememberg Andrew Lumsn, Stuart Feather, Nettie Pollard, Ted Brown, Peter Tatchell and all the origal Gay Liberatn Front – as well as all the others who gave so much. Also on Railton Road were two women’s centr, an Anarchist News Service, squatters groups, a claimants’ unn for those on benefs, the Brixton Advice Centre and the Icebreakers gay liberatn unsellg group. The year 2020 brgs the 50th anniversary of the start of Gay Liberatn London, the moment when everythg changed Bra by settg off the first Gay Pri March 1972, makg 2022 the 50th anniversary of that polil monstratn and celebratn.