1984. Politics: Lesbians Against Pit Closures
The new movie Pride has brought the world’s attention to the activities of the London Lesbians and Gay Men Support the Miners (LGSM) group in 1984/85. And, happily, the film also makes some reference to Lesbians Against Pit Closures (LAPC), albeit relatively brief.
It’s a great start. Whilst I hope that the film will spur people on to find out more about LGSM, I’m also hopeful that it will lead to greater awareness of LAPC. Whilst there’s not a lot of information readily available about LGSM, there’s even less on LAPC, which is a shame since it very much reflected the politics of that period.
The film All Out! Dancing in Dulais includes two lesbians talking about why the group was first started (in November, 1984). It was a breakaway group from LGSM because, as one woman says:
“…there was a core of men who were all actively involved in party politics and were all trying to push their party line and make that the line of the group. And that intimidated and bored a lot of women who weren’t involved in politics in that way.”
But it wasn’t simply a question of ‘getting away from the men’; it was also about recognising women’s issues and women’s strengths in the strike and in the trade union movement as a whole. Another woman has this to say in Dancing in Dulais:
“Among the communities that have been on strike, women in those communities have come forward as a force that can do something effective…and not just stand behind the men in those communities…women can be effective as women.
It showed a lot of trade unionists that if women cease to be excluded from the movement…if women’s rights came onto the union agenda, if sexual politics came onto the agenda of trade union politics, then the union movement would gain in strength.”
Not everyone was happy about lesbians setting up their own support group, however. The Socialist Workers Party, for example, argued that the move was divisive and counter-productive in tackling sexism in mining communities. There was also much debate around whether lesbians were best served by the Women’s Movement or the gay movement (as it was generally referred to at that time). This is covered in some detail in Diarmaid Kelliher’s article, Solidarity and Sexuality: Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners 1984-5, published in History Workshop Journal, Oxford University Press, January 2014.
The debate continued throughout the miners strike, but so too did Lesbians Against Pit Closures. Sadly, I have no information on how many LAPC groups formed around the country (there were 11 LGSM groups), nor any really detail on their activities. I know that the London group collected around £50 a week for the Rhodisia Women’s Action Group in Worksop, Nottinghamshire but that’s were my knowledge begins and ends.
I’d love to hear more: as I said at the beginning, I hope Pride triggers a great interest in how queers supported the miners in 1984/85. And I hope that interest extends to Lesbians Against Pit Closures as well as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.
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Hi , I just wanted to let you know that your wish has been heard! I have seen Pride and it made me really curious so I’ve made a bunch of research about these events, since I’d never heard of LGSM and the only things I knew about the strike were the things I learned while watching ‘Billy Elliot’ (I’m french). When I googled “lgsm”, your site came out as a result, so I read it and now I feel like I am more able to ‘understand’ the context (?) of the movie so thank you. I hope my mistakes and my bad grammar didn’t make this too awful to read and I’m sorry for the length of this comment, but you know how the French are…
Thanks for your feedback; it is much appreciated. One of the main goals of my blog is to maintain a record of important events that would otherwise be forgotten. Pride is a perfect example of this; it seems that few people knew about LGSM. So I’m very glad to have been able to provide more information.
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Why I joined Lesbians Against Pit Closures (LAPC).
This is my story (one of my stories) of LAPC.
I joined LAPC when it started, around Nov 84. The woman who asked me to join said something like
“Some women want to start a group of just the women, do you want to join?” I said “yes” straight way.
Why I said “yes” – I was 28 when I went along to the LGSM meeting and accepted the invitation to join LAPC. I had only come out a year before so I was still finding my feet in the gay and lesbian world and in the political world. I did not have confidence in myself at that time. I was not a person who came to politics through student politics or through joining a political party. I was learning day to day from my work as a housing officer in an Inner London Borough and from the fight against the rate capping policy of the 2nd Thatcher Government.
I was a young gay woman from a working class background, I had a lot of layers to push through to find my voice. LGSM was led by several very articulate, passionate young men who spoke with great clarity and confidence. I don’t remember feeling any sexism from them but I felt that I would not be able to offer anything to LGSM as they appeared to be so together anyway.
I was working in a tough job where I had to combat fear and sexism every day, constantly finding the courage to speak up. I am proud of this but I really valued the calmer space that LAPC provided in which to organise and learn but and this is the key, it was always the focus for LAPC to collect money for the miners.
LAPC collected around a £1,000 in support of the strike. There are stories to tell about how this was done. They may follow later.
Wendy your perspective is really valuable on LAPC. I’m writing an article about the representation of the women in Pride and would love to speak to you further if you read this.
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Dear Colin and Wendy,
thanks so much for answering my three main questions after watching “Pride” with your personal experience about why the women split and LGSM talked bad about them, if communist party played a role in LGSM and if it really was such a good relation with this intensive speech from the miners at the end.
I show “Pride” in a left noncommercial cinema in germany and will spread both your informations as well as we shoy “All out! Dancing in Dulais” as Vimeo-download right after Pride. If someone involved in the making of this film, like you Colin, wants any money for that screening please let me know. Otherwise we will invite people to donate for refugee struggle in our town.
all the best to you and thanks
Sina
Hi Sina
Thanks for your message. Feel free to come back for further information or clarification any time. In terms of showing ‘Dancing in Dulais’it would be perfect if it was used to raise money to support refugees – very much in the spirit of LGSM. If you let me know the details of the screening I can post them on the LGSM 2014 Facebook page (which you are also welcome to join).
Best Wishes
Colin
Dear Sina
Thank you for your reply. I hope the screenings of “Pride” and “Dancing in Dulais” went well.
Best wishes
Wendy
I was their in Pride 1984 and spoke in a fund raising event at London University when the strike was at it’s high, I find the fact’s in the film misleading.
I was a miner from South Wales in the Gwent Valley, I was asked by a two lady’s from Lambeth sue and Jean Macdonald who put me and my comrades up, so I was their to speak.
I only say this as history is full of half truths.