1984. The Pretty Policeman’s Ball
The Pretty Policeman’s Ball was a fundraising concert for London Gay Switchboard (as it was known then.)
Held at the Piccadilly Theatre, it featured some of the best LGBT talent of that period. This included musicians Bronski Beat and Tom Robinson, actors Miriam Margolyes and Simon Callow and stand-up comedians Bernard Padden and Simon Fanshawe.
Some of the performers at the Pretty Policeman’s Ball
The name ‘Pretty Policeman’s Ball’ was a take on ‘The Secret Policeman’s Ball’ – a regular fundraiser for Amnesty International. ‘Pretty policemen’ were plain-clothed policemen who would flirt and proposition gay men outside well-known gay venues, then arrest them for ‘importuning for immoral purposes’.
But there may also have been another reason for the Amnesty reference: throughout the 80s and well in to the 90s Amnesty would not fight for people persecuted on the grounds of their sexuality. (For further information on this, click here.)
The Pretty Policeman’s Ball raised £10,000 for London Switchboard.
Where can I find out more about this, and pretty police arrests for importuning in London?
Not sure where you can find more info on the Pretty Policeman’s Ball Steve, other than Googling it. But the use of pretty policemen to arrest gay men is well documented in GALOP’s annual reports from the 80s and 90s. They’re online at http://www.galop.org.uk. Colin
If you’re in London there’s a complete set of Capital Gay at the Bishopsgate Institute; CG ran campaigns about Pretty Police, publishing pictures of at least one, so you could keep an eye open for him/them. Not yet online, unfortunately. Something for after lockdown…
I remember so well the many extraordinary performances, especially Miraiam Margolyes talking about her early sexual encounters with men! Hearing Jimmy Summerville was amazing. A fantastic evening.
I wrote a new first verse for Tom Robinson’s ‘Glad to Be Gay’ for the occasion, and a whole series of Music Hall parodies for a sing-along opening.
Margolyes brought the house down. After a comic tortured apologia from a vicarly Simon Callow to the effect that “just because people have consented to take part – purely for charitable purposes – there is NO REASON AT ALL to assume that they are – you know – like that.” Miriam came on and announced, “My name is Miriam Margolyes, and I AM.” The cheering went on for several minutes.
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Did Billy Connelly appear at this or was there a second Pretty Policeman’s Other Ball? I remember him talking about buying a racing bike and it coming with instructions on how to deal with penile numbness (from micro saddles) by dismounting at the side of the road and gentling massaging your penis until blood flow returned… He was on the same bill as Miriam Margoyles but she would have undoubtedly done both IF there were two. Her monologue included the tale of missing the ferry from Gozo to Malta and having to persuade a local, elderly fisherman to row her across in exchange for a blowjob.
I haven’t seen his face on the promotional material for Pretty Policeman’s Ball and I’d guess that that it wasn’t really his kind of thing. Happy to be corrected on that.