Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014 - 9

was flickering across that traditionally
strong mining union, a flame was
being lit in the hearts and minds of
lesbian and gay people which arguably
has come to fruition with the
legislation on gay marriange and the
total acceptance of one's sexuality in
today's Britain.
"All too often today people have
forgotten what kind of country
Thatcher and the Conservatives were
building. It was one of division and the
destruction of working people and
trades unions, it was the forerunner of
Section 28 which prohibited so-called
promotion of homosexuality in
schools. Thatcher stated quite
clearly that there was no such thing
as society. This film has had such a
response because the time is right."
David paid tribute to the bravery of
lesbians and gays at that time who
took the chance to reach out to the
mining communities even though they
didn't know what reception they'd get.
"And also my undying gratitude to the
families in my community who proved
to be every bit as generous as I
thought they were by welcoming
these colleagues from London."

Paddy Considine
(centre left) plays
David with Bill
Nighy as Cliff the
club secretary

Mark Ashton tragically died from
HIV in 1987, aged just 26. David says:
"The film portrays him every bit as
energetic and political as he was. He
thought up the idea of a fundraising
gig called Pits and Perverts and it
resulted in a large concert in the
Electric Ballroom with Bronsky Beat
and reps from the mining community
attending from Wales. It was a very
exciting night!"

A Red Ribbon Fund (which raises
money for the Terrence Higgins Trust)
had been set up to commemorate
Mark, and if it raised more than
£2,000 his name would be inscribed
on a plaque at the THT central office.
Mark's friends ran a mini-campaign to
get the fund over £2,000 and in May it
stood at £2,059. But suddenly, when
Pride came out, donations poured in
and they currently stand at nearly
£14,000. To add a donation go to
mark.ashton.muchloved.com
By coincidence, the film has come
out at the same time that BECTU is
setting up an LGBT committee
following a resolution at this year's
annual conference. BECTU is delighted
that LGBT members will now have a
committee to put forward their issues
of concern and take action.
David adds: "The film starts with the
Gay Pride march in London in June
1984 and the closing scenes are the
same march in June 1985. It's fair to
say that, of all the scenes in the film,
that closing scene epitomises the
principles of the working class and
trades unions, which is that we
support each other." l

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October/November 2014 Stage Screen & Radio

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Stage, Screen & Radio - October/November 2014

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