By Ethan Whittle, Leicester Socialist Alternative
Pride this year took place amid an escalating ‘culture war’ being waged by the establishment, particularly against trans youth. A growing number of LGBTQ+ people understand that corporate Pride marches are not enough to win queer liberation.
The Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) campaign, built during the 1984-85 miners’ strike has increasingly become a reference point for many, as is seen in the number of famous ‘Pits and Perverts’ shirts worn on the marches.
LGSM is one of the most important queer rights organisations in British history, whose achievements were won through their understanding of working-class solidarity and shared struggle. Studying their history is crucial to understanding how to build the movement we need to win liberation today.
Backdrop
Formed on 30 June 1984, LGSM were a grassroots group ran out of the flat of founder Mark Ashton, alongside the now historic Gay’s The Word bookshop in London.
Ashton, who had been a socialist activist for years before the strike, first got the idea for the campaign when attending a talk by a striking miner who was discussing their fight against the government. This talk showed both Ashton and his friend Mike Jackson that building support for the strike was not only important to aid the strikers, but also to make a wider point – that despite the differences between the two communities, their oppressor was the same and needed to be fought through class struggle methods.
The core belief of LGSM was that if Thatcher broke the miners, the entire working class movement would be struck a blow. Working people would be worse off no matter what their sexuality, and the state would be given an even firmer hand in attacking the LGBTQ+ community. LGSM members had first-hand experience of Thatcher’s brutal and divisive policies and they understood that division must be fought with solidarity.
They started collecting money in June 1984. By the end of the strike, LGSM raised approximately £20,000 for miners and their families. Their constant and unwavering support helped the miners in their fight against the hated Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
LGSM started very small as a group of eleven members working from a council flat. Four months after the strike action began, they had grown to a group of approximately 60 with many others following in their footsteps. More and more LGSM groups appeared around the country, making them a clear ally against the government in this desperate time.
Lessons for today
Their battle wasn’t easy. There was, of course, serious prejudice from some within the mining communities. In return, some within the queer community viewed the miners with suspicion. ‘Why should we support the miners? What have they ever done for us?’ was a common argument, and is one that is still weaponised today, for instance when queer people stand for Palestinian rights and against the genocidal war on Gaza.
Despite this, LGSM would continue their work. They set about visiting mining towns to build up a joint struggle against a common enemy. They organised the historic Pits and Perverts Gala on 14 May 1984 which raised almost £6,000 for the miners. Some members of LGSM went on to create their sister group, Lesbians Against Pit Closures.
Ultimately, the miners’ strike was defeated as the union leaders failed to effectively coordinate solidarity action. But the work done by LGSM was not forgotten. In June 1985, London’s Pride event was led by Welsh mining communities and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as a physical show of the solidarity and friendship that had developed throughout the past year. Around 1,000 people were in attendance to show their support for the people who had helped them in their fight. Later that year, the NUM also stood up for queer rights at the 1985 Labour Party Conference and Trades Union Congress showing their unwavering support for their brothers and sisters in arms.
Tragically, Mark Ashton died from AIDS in 1987. The memory of LGSM, however, continued long after, with the group reforming in 1992 as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners Again, after another wave of pit closure were announced. Many of those who led LGSM are still to this day involved in both the queer and trade union movements, encouraging workers’ unity in the fight against all types of oppression.
LGSM’s history carries vital lessons. They showed how there is no way we can rid the world of oppression while the working class remains divided. Linking together the fight for queer liberation with that of the workers’ and trade union movement is not simply a nice idea, but is a burning necessity for building the future free of queerphobia, exploitation and capitalism which we seek to build.
In a 2015 interview, Jonathan Blake, a former member of LGSM and one of the first men in the UK to be diagnosed with HIV, was asked about the legacy of LGSM. This is what he said:
“I hope that people will remember the work we did, and also remember that it is not, sadly, a given that one has rights. They’ve been hard fought for. To me, socialism is about society, and it’s about people, and it’s about communities. And when communities come together, we’re strong. When we went to join the Welsh miners, there was this amazing bond that was created. And they repaid it a thousand-fold. So the most important thing is for people to believe in stuff, get involved, and work for it.”
