2014 sees a variety of events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the miners strike in the UK. It’s particularly pleasing to see how a  number are looking at the role of the support group Lesbians and Gay Men Support the Miners (LGSM).

Certainly, at the time of the strike not a single member of LGSM could have imagined – even in their wildest dreams – that we would be getting this kind of attention 30 years down the track.

Two particularly high-profile examples are the play Pits and Perverts by the Sole Purpose Theatre Company and the movie Pride by BBC Films and Pathe International.

Pits and Perverts was presented earlier this year in Northern Ireland but has recently received grant funding to take the play on tour to London and Wales over the next few months. The play’s publicity offers the following overview:

“Pits and Perverts focuses on Sean who leaves Derry in the 1970s at the height of the troubles. He heads to London where he comes out as a gay man. The drama tells the tale of how two very different communities; the working class miners of South Wales and the left wing gay liberals of London realised they had much more in common than they could ever imagine. This heart-warming real-life story teaches us of the powers of solidarity, how two unlikely cultures collaborated, the friendships that were formed and the life lessons that they learned from each other.”

On Friday, 12th September, the movie Pride will have its official release in the UK (with release in other countries to follow shortly thereafter). With big names including Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy it is set to have a huge impact around the globe. It too looks at the culture clash between queers and miners and how it was overcome to produce an enduring bond of mutual support.

The clip below gives an insight into the movie: