Pride: the movie

PRIDE

THE MOVIE

INDEX

NUM Refuses LGSM Funds

Film trailer

Thank you speech

LGBT situation in the 1980s

10

1985 London pride Parade

Onllwyn

John "Bromley" Cooper

11

Pits and Perverts

After the LGSM Events

End of Miners' Strike

12

Bibliography

LGSM

PRIDE (2014) TRAILER

About the film: a real-based story about a group of LGBT activists who raised money to help a mining village during the Miner's Strike 1984-85.

LGBT situation in the 80s

England

• During Thatcher’s term, any kind of “promotion of homosexuality” was banned as well as any educational material that could “promote homosexuality”.
• Whereas some accepted as something normal, there were still many people who did not accept that.

Joe "Bromley" Cooper

• The protagonist of the film

• Age: 20
• Culinary College student
• Comes from a traditional family
• LGBT
• Fictional character (an audience surrogate)

LGSM

• An incipient LGSM (a LGBT group that created this association to help miners) is rejected by the mining communities and unions due to their prejudices towards homosexuality.
• So, they decided to contact a small village in Wales, Onllwyn, to offer their help.

Thank you speech

• Dai Donovan, a miner from Onllwyn, travels to London to thank LGSM group for all their support by giving a speech in a gay bar.
• LGSM raised more money.

Link to the speech

Onllwyn

Encouraged by Dai Donovan's speech, the LGSM members traveled all the way to the small town of Onllwyn, hoping to work together with its citizens

Community

Unfortunately, some of the miners received them with hate and ignorance

However, as they started to know each other, most of them became friends with the LGSM members

Perverts

• But not all of the citizens were as thrilled about the situation
• One of them contacted a conservative newspaper
• The next day the entire town saw the headline "Perverts Support the Pits"

Inspiration

• When the other mining communities found out about the involvement of the LGSM they felt threatened

• But the LGSM members and their friends refused to give up

• Taking advantage of the notoriety that the newspaper had given them, the organised a fundraiser with the name "Pits and Perverts"

Pits and Pervets

Several artists, such as the band Bronski Beat, performed to support the cause

The fundraiser was a complete success and raised over 5,000 pounds

The event was for everyone, regardless of their sexuality

End of Miners' Strike

• In March 1985, the Welsh Miners' Strike against Thacher's policies came to their end

• More LGSM emulated Mark Ashton and abandoned the movement

nUM refuse help

Homophobic NUM members rejects LGSM's support

Gethin TRYS to campaign alone

Mark abandons LGSM

Joe is outed

He left the LGSM after being diagnosed with HIV

He was violently assaulted and hospitalised

His family kept him away from the LGSM

Joe leaves his home

• Siân James takes Joe to his hometown
• She helps him leave his homophobic home after shaming his family

1985 London Pride Parade

• In June 1985, several Welsh miner associations joined the LGBT+ community in the London Pride Parade
• See the Pride Parade scene by clicking down below

After the 1985 London Pride Parade

Labour Party incorporated right for gays and lesbians under pressure form the National Union of Mineworkers

Mark Ashton

Siân James

She became an MP for the Labour Party

He died of AIDS in 1987

Bibliography

• https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/02/12/mark-ashton-memorial-campaign-hometown-portrush-northern-ireland-gay/
• https://blogs.canterbury.ac.uk/library/mark-ashton-the-embodiment-of-pride/
• https://www.100welshwomen.wales/100-women/sian_james/
• https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/spring-2021/jonathan-blake/
• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3169706/awards?ref_=tt_awd
• https://www.bl.uk/lgbtq-histories/articles/a-short-history-of-lgbt-rights-in-the-uk