The Homophobic Response to the AIDS Crisis in the 1980s

Montage of images of primary sources about AIDS crisis

|By Rory Herbert, Gale Ambassador at the University of Portsmouth|

During the early 1980s, AIDS became an ever-growing concern in the minds of Americans, and brought to the fore the deep-seated tensions and homophobic tendencies that plagued the nation’s media and political institutes. Gale’s Archives of Sexuality and Gender provides access to a wealth of sources that help us to understand the issues and struggles experienced by these long-oppressed and ignored members of society during a particularly trying period.

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Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners

Written by Anita Klich, Gale Ambassador & contributor

Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) is considered one of the most important alliances in LGBT history. It saw lesbians and gays coming together in the mid-1980s to support British miners who were striking to prevent colliery closures. The strike was condemned by the government led by Margaret Thatcher. Some believe the alliance between the LGBT community and British working class was a turning point in the history of LGBT people and their existence within British society. I decided to find out how different newspapers described the strike and the alliance. Thanks to the Archives of Sexuality & Gender resource in Gale Primary Sources, available through Portsmouth University Library, I was able to find out how newspapers covered the strike, including what visuals they provided to support their coverage.

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LGBTQ+ ‘Without Borders’ conference in London 2016

Following on from the recent release of Gale’s LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940 and in the days leading up to London Pride weekend, I recently attended the LGBTQ+ Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections ‘Without Borders’ 2016 conference in London to listen and learn from archivists, activists, librarians, researchers and performers from around the world share their ground-breaking efforts to disseminate knowledge of LGBTI histories and lives.

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