Lookg through our llectn for signs of the long stggle for gay rights.
Contents:
THE ARE THE RADIL ROOTS OF BRISH GAY PRI
* gay pride history uk *
“They were ashamed of their sexualy and genr inty so our unter to gay shame was Gay Pri, ” Peter Tatchell – one of the people who anised that 1972 Pri march – recently told GAY TIMES. “Back then the overwhelmg amount of LGBTQ+ people were closeted, shameful and didn’t believe they were entled to equal rights, ” Peter told , addg that gay patrons outsi of queer pubs would throw s and beer bottl at them. “They said we were extremists, they said that mandg equal rights for gay people would only draw public attentn to and rult further opprsn, ” Peter explaed.
In the UK we’ve fought for and won many rights – om same-sex marriage, equal age of nsent, the Genr Regnn Act, and the right to adopt, through to repealg the homophobic Sectn 28 that probed the teachg of LGBTQ+ experienc schools the 90s. The former prs officer for the Brish Iron and Steel Feratn started volunteerg for the Homosexual Law Reform Society (HLRS) 1958, which mpaigned to change laws that crimalised gay men. Followg his ath 2010, fellow activist Andrew Lumsn creded Antony wh pavg the way for the Gay Liberatn Front, Outrage!, Stonewall and the Campaign for Homosexual Equaly.
The former chief executive of Stonewall, Ben Summerskill, hailed Antony as a “real hero for gay equaly” and said the Brish LGBTQ+ muny “owe him a huge bt of gratu”. Her life trajectory changed 1969 when embolned by the UK’s crimalisatn of homosexualy two years prevly, she formally me out at Speaker’s Corner Hy Park, tellg the assembled crowd: “You are lookg at a roarg dyke. ” From there on her lbian activism went on to fe much of the gay rights movement; she joed the Campaign for Homosexual Equaly, found the Gay Liberatn Front 1970, took part the UK’s first Pri march 1972 and found leadg lbian magaze, Sappho year later.
GAY PRI
In November 1970 durg a vis to the cema to see classic gay film The Boys In The Band, Ted Brown was hand a leaflet om a newly-formed Gay Liberatn Front London. He’d later be a powerful mpaigner agast homophobic and racist policg the UK, leadg the Black sectn of Galop, as well as workg for Lewisham Actn on Policg. He also found Black Lbians and Gays Agast Media Homophobia; an anisatn that challenged and lled out media tl who, at the time, regularly ran anti-LGBTQ+ and racist news reports the UK overflowg wh disrmatn and discrimatn.
In s first two s, the helple was an valuable source of support for those g out after the 1967 partial crimalisatn of male homosexualy, as well as one of rmatn durg the HIV/AIDS epimic the 80s. A former member of Lbians and Gays Support the Mers, Jonathan Blake was one of the first people diagnosed wh HIV the UK and is one of the untry’s olst livg survivors wh the illns. Jonathan was also the face of Terrence Higgs Tst’s first safer sex poster aimed at gay men and has volunteered at var HIV drop- centr cludg THT, The Landmark Brixton/Tulse Hill, Lighthoe South London and The Food Cha.
All three members of the band, Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski and Larry Stebachek, who rerd the majory of the band’s hs were openly gay, and ed their mic to highlight LGBTQ+ jtic society. Wrten to mpaign for the lowerg of the age of nsent for homosexual acts to 16 le wh the heterosexual age of nsent the UK, the ner sleeve listed the varyg ag of nsent for nsensual gay sex different natns around the world. It was around this time that Bronski Beat also headled the Ps and Perverts ncert at the Electric Ballroom London to raise funds for the Lbians and Gays Support the Mers mpaign – an event featured the 2014 film Pri.