How activists changed the course of queer history at Birmingham

Newly published research from a University of Birmingham student highlights how student activist groups at the University played a key role in challenging and changing negative attitudes towards gay people in the early 1970s.

The research, Gay Liberation at the University of Birmingham, by History and Politics student Ophelia White, explores how students and others took part in the gay liberation movement that swept across the country in the Seventies, and details the experiences of LGBTQ+ members during a pivotal period in queer history.

It explains the widespread stigma and discrimination shown towards gay people, and reveals the activities on campus that contributed significantly to changing the negative culture, both at the University and in wider society; helping to advance rights and acceptance.

As history shows, the shadow of hostility and discrimination hung heavy over gay, lesbian and bisexual people in Britain. Public opinion was gradually changing, particularly in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, largely thanks to the work of advocacy groups. But the 1967 Sexual Offences Act only decriminalised private homosexual acts between men over 21; this age not being reduced to 18 until 1994.

There was also a prevailing view, held by some psychologists, that homosexuality was a ‘condition’ that could be ‘cured’. Meanwhile, gay people frequently remained the focus of ridicule and humiliation in the arena of public performance. The University itself was not an innocent player during this period, since it researched the controversial practice of aversion therapy, which has since been discredited and shown to have been harmful to those exposed.

By the early Seventies, the city of Birmingham had established one of the UK’s largest Gay Liberation Front groups, with a strong presence at the University, where the GLF also held its 1972 conference. In March that year, the University’s student newspaper, Redbrick, published a letter from a member of the BGLF alleging harassment, bullying and assault on a student who had been outed as gay.

In response, the student GLF group set about transforming the image of campus as a hostile environment for gay students. A platform for protest, as well as an informal community space for the five-per-cent of students who were gay, the group gave queer people a voice through performance-based activism.

The success of the Birmingham GLF was in no small part due to the platform given to it by allies within the Guild of Students and the editorial staff of student publications. Redbrick and the student magazine Mermaid, regularly featured articles and letters from the GLF and reported on activism, including publishing directories of queer social spaces, helplines and groups, both in the city and on campus. Guild officers attended conferences for queer students and promoted societies for gay students in the Guild’s annual handbooks from 1973 onward.

The GLF regularly held social functions, such as discos and film screenings, as well as educational talks and conferences, aimed at educating students. With the national fragmentation of the GLF, GaySoc was formed. The University’s first dedicated society for queer students, characterised by its open, friendly and inclusive atmosphere, crucially it acted as a counselling service where students could feel safe and be open about their identity.

It also continued the GLF’s activism, working to end events such as the medical society’s traditional Drag Queen’s Ball, and holding annual Gay Weeks of action with focused events and talks highlighting the ‘Gay Is Good’ message. In 1979, the society allowed heterosexuals to join its membership.

Despite a ban on sexist events - such as the Drag Queen’s Ball - becoming Guild policy in 1976, the University’s medical society organised a Dragpersons’ ball in November that year, successfully tabling a general meeting motion reversing the ban. Activists from GaySoc and other organisations assembled in force outside the event, successfully turning many people away. The die was cast. Due to financial losses, plus acknowledgement of the offence the ball had caused, the event was axed.

GaySoc also protested vociferously during a visit by the controversial Conservative campaigner, Mary Whitehouse, to the University in 1977, which led to the start of manifestos for Guild elections, including support for gay rights as a common platform. Five long years of activism had begun to reap rewards.

Today, the University of Birmingham has more than 40,000 students with diverse backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and lived experiences. It is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive learning and working environment where discrimination is not tolerated and where all members of the University can flourish and reach their full potential.

The University also observes Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans (LGBTQ+) History Month, which takes place every year in February and celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Acting as a focal point for LGBTQ+ History Month in Birmingham and the West Midlands region, the University offers a range of performances, film nights, talks and events taking place across campus, which are devised and hosted by both staff and students.

The University of Birmingham’s Rainbow Network Co-Chairs, Dr Josh Savage, Anthea Kunz and Clara Lewis, commented: “This important research ensures that the experiences and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in Birmingham are recorded for posterity and celebrated. By preserving these stories, we contribute to promoting a more inclusive and accurate understanding of our collective past.”