Pride

Citation

Mark Williams (2016), "Pride", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 71-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAOA-01-2016-0006

Matthew Warchus’s film, Pride, is a poignant reminder of a time when being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans was not accepted. The film gives us some strong characters including Mark who, faced with ongoing abuse and aggression from the police, politicians and wider society, forms the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) to support striking miners who were suffering aggression from the same sources.

In addition to Mark, there are several other campaigners based on the real members of LGSM and local Welsh community members including Gethin and Jonathan who also manage “Gay is the Word” bookshop.

With Jonathan, we have a refreshing representation of a middle aged, HIV positive gay man, balancing the negative condemning 1980s media. Although initially a somewhat reluctant volunteer in the campaign, Jonathan later explains how the police cannot hold miners indefinitely without charge, bringing a turning point in the acceptance of the LGSM in the local Welsh community.

Through Gethin we understand the rejection faced by Lesbian and Gay people by their families historically as we see him struggle to return to Wales and to his mother who had previously rejected him. Gethin is also the victim of a brutal hate attack in London which further enables the audience to understand the issues faced historically and still today.

Pride also has positive portrayal of lesbian characters in the LGSM with Steph, Stella and Zoe who are at the forefront of the fundraising activities and engaging with the mining villagers. Stella and Zoe are also strong feminist characters with the group and, with their requests for women only spaces being ignored, form the breakaway group “Lesbians Against Pit Closures”.

The only representation of Trans* people (if we use the wider definition of transgender) is through drag queens shown in gay venues. There are no other representations of Trans* or Intersex people nor obviously bisexual people which would appear to be an accurate representation of 1980s society.

For younger people watching Pride, not only will they experience and increase understanding of the issues faced by older LGBT people, but they will also be able to identify with Bromley, the youngest member of the group.

It is with Cliff from Onllwyn, the Welsh mining village, that we see representation of an older gay Welsh man. It is only later in the film, after general acceptance of the LGSM group that Cliff feels able to confide in his friend Hefina that he is also gay and discover her acceptance.

At the end of the film we see the significance of the LGSM support with a shift in Labour policy to enshrine Gay rights in their manifesto which is felt to be partly due to the block vote of the NUM (who led the Pride march in 1985). Clearly the selfless approach of the group is shown to have produced results.

Pride is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to understand issues faced by older Lesbian and Gay people in society today as it reflects the less accepting environment people will have lived through and the rights they have achieved through their actions. I would recommend anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of the fight for gay rights should watch Pride.