The Book "Pride" and the state of the UK today.

I have just finished the book “Pride”. The book was made into a film about the struggles of the miners strike in the 1980. A bunch of LGBT+ People helped the strikers out in what would become a landmark strike that not only kept the miners alive during the cruel Thatcher state sponsored starvation but also in the long run benefited all LGBT+ people, in the rights that was won and we still enjoy today. The movement was called the LGSM, or the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.

While the strike was ultimately a failure it did have a long-lasting impact for the LGBT+ Community.

The London Pride in 1985 was a pivotal moment for LGBT+ Rights in the UK. Miners from the Welsh Valleys, who the LGSM supported during the strike, repaid the favour by coming out in force to march with the LGSM. The pride those days was a lot smaller than it is today, less commercialised and more political. There was so many miners turned up that the LGSM was brought from the middle of the parade to the front of the parade.

At the Labour Party conferences motions on LGBT+ rights were passed with the support of the NUM (National Union of Miners). With this very influential union backing them, other unions followed suite. At first the Labour Party leadership was not keen on the idea but with all the unions backing them they had no choice but to.

When Labour, under Tony Blair, got into power a lot of LGBT+ friendly laws, like the Equality Act 2010, was brought in.

Today is a different landscape. Trans rights are now under attack by the conservative government. We need to fight for them, not just for Transgender people like myself otherwise the whole of the LGBT community will be targets again.

I would like to end this post with 2 passages from this amazing book.

“Battle Lines”

During the general election, the Conservatives had developed a widespread poster campaign showing a photograph of a long dole queue and the slogan “Labour Isn’t Working”. When Mrs Thatcher assumed office, a record 1.1 million people where unemployed. But she was committed to radial economic theory – monetarism – which demanded that controlling inflation (Then running at 10 per cent) was the government’s overriding priority, To achieve this goal – while simultaneously lowering taxes for high earners and boosting the defence budget – the government imposed tough cuts in public spending.

Does this sound familiar today, we have inflation above 10%, and the chancellor has already said cuts to public spending to control inflation is coming in next week's autumn statement.

I bring this up, so you know the context of this next passage.

Mike Jackson – Founding member of LGSM

I think one of the most damaging things about the oppression of the lesbian and gay community, historically, is that we weren’t even listened to. We were just ignored. So, you couldn’t have an argument or debate: we was just silenced

When was the last time you saw a Transgender person on TV debating Transgender Rights? I have never seen anyone. Shon Faye, the author of “The Transgender Issue” is no longer on Twitter thanks to the hate she got after publishing her ground-breaking book.

The Conservatives are trying to distract the general public on the issues above by attacking the transgender community, a small percentage of the population (There is only 2-500k Transgender people in the UK, the estimate is so wide as there has not been a census on how many there are). We, Transgender people, are one of the most vulnerable parts of society. The Conservatives know it.

Please, if you are reading this, get the book “Pride” and “Transgender Issue”. Please read it. We just want to live our life in peace and be safe.

One last thing. To all our allies inside and outside the LGBT+ Community. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.