Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London's Fierce History

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Victoria Noe, author of 'Fag Hags, Divas and Moms: The Legacy of Straight Women in the AIDS Community' A fascinating walk through the early years of Gay Liberation to the (partial) decriminalisation of Homosexuality in June 1967' I am also part of a very exciting legal initiative to build a case to take the government to court for the crime that was Section 28, for the harm done to every queer in Britain. It may not be successful but it’s damn well worth a try.

Glass: Love, power, fear, war, apartheid, peace, justice, freedom-fighting, education, emotions, Section 28, remembrance, amnesia, happiness, loneliness, AIDS, healthcare, abandonment, addiction, raves, ghosts, sex, friendship, creativity, local community building, global sex positive de-criminalisation, taking our purpose seriously as queers but not so seriously that we can’t laugh at ourselves. I wanted to do Queer Footprints partly because the pandemic happened: we couldn’t do Queer Tours. I really wanted to challenge myself by writing it and expand Queer Tours into a written format. I was also aware that a lot of the people who I’m really inspired by are getting old and I wanted to record their stories. Glass has used his vast experience as a campaigner to create something dizzyingly energetic. His writing isn't just informative; it compels you to act.’ A truly rewarding read, full of insights and knowledge and intertwined with anecdotes from those who were there. The book is a goldmine for those interested in finding out about the queer history of the streets of London '

Events

Queer Footprints is for anyone keen to change the way we all experience the sexual and spatial geography of our lives and neighbourhoods – whether you’re LGBTQ+, an ally or someone hungry for freedom. We are the queerdos we have been waiting for, and we don’t have to hide anymore! This book memorialises a London which recent capitalism has destroyed. It's an activist psychogeography. Next time I'm in London, I want to do some queer touring with this book.' There are remarkable books and then there is Queer Footprints . Highly informative, witty, candid and steeped in historical detail, Dan Glass serves as the bobbin in the weaving process of herstories, bringing you an immersive reading experience which makes necessary the act of radical love. This book will be used to celebrate and honour the forebears of queer movements whose lives have afforded much of the liberties enjoyed today, as well as reminding us that the fight against injustice is far from over. Whether you’re a Londoner, a visitor or someone who's never stepped foot in the city, Queer Footprints will enrich your knowledge of queer history '

Accompanied by a chorus of voices of both iconic and unsung legends of the movement, readers can walk through parts of East, West, South and North London, dipping into beautifully illustrated maps and extraordinary tales of LGBTQIA+ solidarity, protest and pride. The shadows of gentrification, policing, homophobia and racism are time and again resisted. Join us for a queer history walking tour of Piccadilly, led by Dan Glass. Walkers will meet at the Statue of Eros (closest underground station Piccadilly Circus) for the walk of the queer history of the Piccadilly area and end at LSE Library (closest underground station Holborn) with a short viewing of LSE archives. SPACES AVAILABLE — Celebratory evening at LSE Library — 9 June, 6pm to 9pm Because for fifty years the Gay Liberation Front have taught humankind this lesson in the most dazzling and spectacular fashion. Emerging from the Stonewall Uprisings in New York in 1969 it wasn’t long before they catalysed a movement here in Britain that lead to Pride today, but not as we know it. At the pumping heart of the GLF mission is the aim of ‘Absolute freedom for all’, a principled opposition against all oppression and to stand in solidarity with everyone everywhere facing discrimination and abuse. They have helped fight for, and won, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) – medication taken to prevent HIV – to be mainstreamed and available and catalysing huge public awareness campaigns to destigmatise HIV across Ireland. Not only was it deeply inspiring to learn about the seismic achievements of the LGBTQ+ and healthcare movements here but also learning about Queer Icons in Dublin! Join us for an evening of exploring the Hall-Carpenter Archives, a book reading with Dan Glass, and a panel discussion with key groups featured in the book including Gay Liberation Front (GLF), Switchboard, and more! The celebratory evening will include:LSE Library has been home to the Hall-Carpenter Archives since 1988. It’s an extensive collection of archives, ephemera and printed material documenting the development of gay activism in the UK since the 1950s. Glass: It was a balance between 65 interviews with some of the legendary founders of Pride and the early members of the Gay Liberation Front along with multiple pioneers in social justice movements, who continue their journey for justice for all, and my own experience. The autobiographical elements came through speaking with my twin sister and finally allowing myself to remember what I went through as a child living under Section 28, the ruthless and barbaric legislation that wiped our identities as queers out of existence. I wanted to include all the unfurling and unleashing that happened since then on the streets and raves and bedrooms across London, and also uncover icons throughout history and across the world who paved the way for the Gay Liberation Front. One thing I specifically tried to do in this book is to be optimistic. Angela Davis talks about optimism as a radical act: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” Also, Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of Hope says that we continually have to sculpt hope in our lives and our movements. Not in a false way of “let’s all link arms and give peace a chance.” No: we have to look at the structures in society and build structurally in response. That’s one thing which helped me strike [the balance]: movements which are hopeful, and which have created active change.

But also, all the incredible nooks and crannies (in London and far beyond) which we’ve been denied knowing about. It’s very reparative and healing to be connected on a physical, psychological and spiritual level with our queer community through the generations. Join us to flagship launch of Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London’s Fierce History by Dan Glass at London’s leading counter-cultural and LGBTQIA+ archive, Bishopsgate Institute, where the book was also researched and written.The curation of Queer Footprints reaffirmed my belief in the power of people’s (or ‘popular’) education, and I learnt many new storytelling tools to enable this. One of my favourite case studies is Carla Toney in the Trafalgar Square chapter. Carla was the first woman and lesbian to make a speech at the first Gay Liberation Front demo in 1971, the year before the first Pride. Her story has never been written down in a book. History is often told by those who have the luxury to write it. My main epiphany throughout writing the book is that our community is incredible. We’ve got all the tools that we need. When it comes to international movements, it’s all about continuing to share the things that help us win, and it is about perseverance and seeing this in the long term. All the tyrannical homophobic legislation is inspired by each other, because of the British Empire, because of Section 28: the “gay propaganda” law in Russia, the Polish “LGBT-free Zones.” What’s going on in Uganda at the moment is practically a carbon copy of the Henry VIII’s Buggery Act in 1533. So just as they are inspired by each other, we have to be inspired by each other to help overturn [the legislation].

Nite Dykes is a monthly nite for LGBT womxn. A brand spanking new lez-fest from the powerhouses behind Resis’dance, Faggamuffin Bloc Party and Goldsnap: Gin and Mica. Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London’s Fierce History takes an innovative look at the English capital’s LGBTQ+ history and the hidden “nooks and crannies” that reveal our stories. Author and activist Dan Glass tells us what inspired him to write the book. Dan Glass has several upcoming events as part of his book tour in London, Dublin, Berlin and Brussels. Find out more about how to attend through the Queer Footprints LinkTree .Ntombi Nyathi, Strategic Networking and Resource Mobilisations Officer, Training for Transformation Sarah Schulman, author of ‘The Gentrification of the Mind’ and ‘Let the Records Show: A Political History of ACT UP’ United Queerdom: From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow is a toolkit of case studies, strategies, philosophies, methodologies and tactics for LGBTQIA+ liberation. But it doesn’t stop there. In the spirit of the original aims of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), who started the modern Pride movement, it exists in the spirit of `Absolute Freedom for All’ and lives by the mantra of ‘All Injustices Are Connected.’ Dan Glass is an AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) healthcare and human rights activist, performer, presenter and writer. Dan has been recognised as 'Activist of the Year' with the Sexual Freedom Awards and was announced a 'BBC Greater Londoner' for founding Queer Tours of London - A Mince Through Time. His book United Queerdom: From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow was Observer book of the week. Dan recently founded self-defence empowerment programme Bender Defenders and Queer Night Pride to confront rising hate crime. Follow him @danglassmincer. LSE Library organised a Picadilly walking tour and panel event on Friday 9 June 2023 to mark the book’s launch which featured a display of materials from LSE’s Hall-Carpenter Archives and panellists from the UK branch of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) , formed at LSE in 1970.