0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some scenes of a sexual nature
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I think it shouldn't be allowed on the street.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08I think it's disgusting, to be quite frank with you.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12I think man ought to go with a woman and woman ought to go with a man.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Every so often, the world changes beyond our wildest dreams.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19The past 50 years has been an incredible journey for lesbian, gay,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22bisexual, transgender and queer people in Britain.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27We've gone from being thrown in jail for loving someone for a single night...
0:00:27 > 0:00:30..to walking down the aisle with that very same person.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36In this series, ordinary people from across the country
0:00:36 > 0:00:40have been digging out and sharing with us the mementos that mark this
0:00:40 > 0:00:44transformation and have changed their lives.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46This is my Navy-issue suitcase.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48That's me at the front corner.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52The result is a crowd-sourced collection of some of the rarest,
0:00:52 > 0:00:59most personal, most heartbreaking and inspiring artefacts in our history.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01They came in and said, get up, get dressed, get downstairs.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03You're under arrest.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Together, they tell the story of an extraordinary 50 years.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12For the first time in my life, I was, like, oh, my God, I'm home!
0:01:12 > 0:01:16We knew right from our first kiss that we would always be together.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17It's the story of all of us.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20The people we loved and the people we sometimes hated.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24It was a dangerous and frightening time,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27but it taught you how to be alive.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28It's the story of my life.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And mine.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Tonight, we're in the era when pop culture moved the LGBTQ story
0:01:35 > 0:01:37from the fringes into the mainstream.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41That is George Michael's signature, and after that,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44George gave me a kiss, so I'll never forget that night.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50When a kiss, song or a concert gave hope to millions living in isolation.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55I felt this extraordinary sense of connection with the community.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58I don't care what you say, this is my life and this is the way I'm
0:01:58 > 0:01:59going to lead it.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06So, unfurl a Pride banner.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07Wedge open that closet door.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11And settle in for The People's History Of LGBTQ Britain.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25One bag, here! Hello, mate.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29# Never felt like this until I kissed ya... #
0:02:29 > 0:02:34It started with a kiss in the most unlikely of places.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41BBC One, 17th of November 1987, EastEnders.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45And 14 million people were watching.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Now look, I don't want to get into an argument with you,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58but promise me you'll take the day off and I'll ring you lunchtime, OK?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I won't know what the score is until I get there.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Is that it, I hear you say?
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Blink and you'd miss it,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10but in 1987, two men kissing on mainstream TV, this was big.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17I watched it at home surrounded by my family and I was terrified they
0:03:17 > 0:03:19might catch me enjoying the storyline.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Let's face it, they didn't know that I was gay and I certainly wasn't
0:03:22 > 0:03:25going to give it away. In fact, this was the look on my face.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30That is me pretending not to enjoy something, but inside,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I was doing cartwheels!
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Are you trying to tell me that you and Colin are...
0:03:35 > 0:03:37..homosexuals?
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Sure. Didn't you know?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I'm sorry, Barry, but I'll have to give you your keys back.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47While Dot might not have liked it, the EastEnders kiss was a small,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50but hugely significant moment.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52It exposed a divided Britain.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55There were those who thought it was high time
0:03:55 > 0:03:57real gay relationships were reflected on TV
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and then there were those who thought, "no, thanks."
0:04:02 > 0:04:06So far we've had over 20 calls from viewers who thought it was disgusting.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08They include Mrs Margaret Palmer,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11who says her children will not be allowed to watch it again,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Mrs Grace Bullock from Bamburgh, who thought it was absolutely disgusting,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Mandy Gumson from Liverpool didn't agree with it and
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Robert Head thought it was repugnant.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24At the same time Colin and Barry were kissing on EastEnders,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29a storm was raging over a school book that showed a little girl
0:04:29 > 0:04:32living with her dad and his gay lover.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34DOOR BELL RINGS
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Come in. I think I've got something to show you.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45When Austin Allen heard about the scandal,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49he was curious and went out and bought the infamous book.
0:04:49 > 0:04:5230 years on, he still has his original copy.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00This is Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Are you sitting comfortably?
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Then I'll begin.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It is Saturday.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Jenny opens her eyes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11She looks over to the curtains.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Yes, the sun is shining outside.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Dad, Dad!
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Wake up!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22This schoolbook was an attempt to teach children
0:05:22 > 0:05:25about gay and lesbian families.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33But for large parts of the press and the Conservative government,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37it was nothing short of a homosexual recruiting manual.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It was quickly dubbed "the sickest book in Britain".
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are
0:05:45 > 0:05:49being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay.
0:05:51 > 0:05:57For Thatcher and her government, this was their evidence that we were
0:05:57 > 0:06:02going too far and this was perfect to feed their homophobia.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08The government saw this children's book as part of a worrying rise in
0:06:08 > 0:06:12the visibility and acceptance of lesbian and gay lifestyles.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18This was the atmosphere in which Austin started a teaching job in Bradford.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I'd been teaching there for a while and I suppose some of the older
0:06:21 > 0:06:27children were curious and simply asked me if I was gay.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32And I answered honestly and said, "Yes, that's right, I am gay."
0:06:35 > 0:06:40The next day, a teacher came into the classroom and asked me to go to
0:06:40 > 0:06:41the head teacher's office.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48So I went down to his study and he basically sacked me.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53He sacked me not, as he said, because I was gay,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57but because the children and pupils had found out that I was gay and
0:06:57 > 0:07:03therefore my credibility as a teacher had plummeted to zero,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05which, of course, I knew it hadn't.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10When I got home,
0:07:10 > 0:07:15I rang a very good friend of mine to tell him what had happened to me.
0:07:15 > 0:07:21He said, "I was about to ring you to ask you if you'd seen Newsnight
0:07:21 > 0:07:24"last night because apparently there has been
0:07:24 > 0:07:29"some new legislation introduced into Parliament."
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The proposed legislation was known as Clause 28.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37It was an attempt by the government to stop what they saw as the
0:07:37 > 0:07:40promotion of homosexuality in schools,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43but it didn't stop in the classroom.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48The legislation also suggested that gay and lesbian relationships were unnatural.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54It says that homosexuality really is unacceptable.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00It actually makes homosexuals, lesbians and gay men second-rate citizens.
0:08:02 > 0:08:0720 years after the historic change of 1967 when homosexuality was
0:08:07 > 0:08:11decriminalised, this felt like a huge step backwards.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16The fight against this new clause would become one of the defining
0:08:16 > 0:08:18moments in LGBTQ history.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22As a young gay man, I didn't really mix with lesbians.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26In fact, in the '70s and '80s, some gay men were quite separatist,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28even a little bit sexist.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31But all that was about to change.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Clause 28 meant we forgot all about our disagreements with the menfolk,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38as lesbians were up for a fight, too.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44# Tell me why... #
0:08:45 > 0:08:48CHANTING
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- REPORTER:- It was the biggest demonstration Manchester has seen.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The procession stretched for nearly two miles around the city streets.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59On the 20th February 1988,
0:08:59 > 0:09:0420,000 people from all over Britain travelled to Manchester to chant,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06sing and knock out a tune.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Equal rights!
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Equal rights!
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Louise Carolin was just 21 when she travelled up from Cambridge and
0:09:15 > 0:09:19she's kept a precious and personal memento from that historic day.
0:09:23 > 0:09:30I've got a recording that I made with a friend on the demonstration
0:09:30 > 0:09:34in Manchester and I haven't listened to it for 20 years.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40This is the Bigot's Bootleg, which is what we named our recording.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want it? Now!
0:09:59 > 0:10:00It really brings it all back.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06It was really personal because, you know, that legislation was about
0:10:06 > 0:10:09protecting the children and this idea that we
0:10:09 > 0:10:14were somehow a threat to the children, it was so toxic, you know?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17So although we were angry and although we felt threatened,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Section 28 actually brought the community together and, you know,
0:10:22 > 0:10:23kind of galvanised people.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29At the time of the march, Louise was working for Shocking Pink,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34the first magazine made by and for young women to offer readers
0:10:34 > 0:10:36positive images of lesbian lives.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40We made the tape because we wanted to do an article in the magazine.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Shall I show you?
0:10:45 > 0:10:48So this is Shocking Pink, the one that had the article in,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and I think the cover gives quite a good idea of what it's like inside.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55For this issue, we did this thing, because we used to sell it on
0:10:55 > 0:10:57marches like this. Shocking Pink, Shocking Pink,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and if people kind of sneered and said, "No, no, I don't think so,"
0:11:00 > 0:11:02we'd spin it over and go, bride?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And sometimes we got sales from that.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07That's the spread that we created.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10We've just transcribed some of the interviews from the march.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Ah, now, look, there's lovely Sue Johnson who played Sheila Grant
0:11:14 > 0:11:16on Brookside and she gave a really impassioned speech.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21When I first heard about Clause 28,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I thought about Hitler's burning of the books.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25We've got the crowd response with roars of,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27"Sheila! Sheila! Sheila!"
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- CROWD:- Sheila! Sheila! Sheila!"
0:11:31 > 0:11:36We were so hungry for affirmation, for people to say, you know, this is wrong.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Geoff and Peter travelled up from Shrewsbury to join the thousands
0:11:44 > 0:11:45protesting in Manchester.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51So, let's have a look upstairs, cos this is where all the gubbins is.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Up here in the attic is a room full of memories.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58This is a short-lived organisation called
0:11:58 > 0:12:06Organisation For Lesbian And Gay Action and this banner,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Shropshire Olga, was made the night before the march.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Not terribly brilliantly, but it is eye-catching.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20Geoff and Peter marched that day because Clause 28 said lesbian or
0:12:20 > 0:12:24gay families were just pretend ones, they weren't real.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Only the heterosexual family was normal.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33Yeah, well our son Liam was born in 1988, so we were looking ahead to,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35you know, this is going to be law.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39We've brought a child into this world who is going to be part of a
0:12:39 > 0:12:41pretended family, as far as the government's concerned.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43What's that going to do for him?
0:12:43 > 0:12:48MUSIC: Never Tear Us Apart by INXS
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I do love the of the reflection of the water.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54- It is nice, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00It's heart-wrenching to think that somebody might see you as lesser
0:13:00 > 0:13:02or different because of who your parents are.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06My family's special.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12You couldn't tell me my family isn't a real family, you know what I mean?
0:13:12 > 0:13:17The love, the guidance, the everything,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20everything that should be there is there and yeah,
0:13:20 > 0:13:21I wouldn't trade that for anything.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Opposition to the clause wasn't just coming from within the gay community.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35High-profile members of the public started to join the fight.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Artists and celebrities who feared the legislation would gag their
0:13:39 > 0:13:41freedom of expression.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46If the wrong people use Clause 28,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50as they can use it, to victimise homosexuals,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54to stop certain plays being performed, to stop certain films
0:13:54 > 0:13:57being shown, then it means yet another loss of liberty.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04The funny thing about this period was that some of my heroes started
0:14:04 > 0:14:06to openly reveal themselves.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Stephen Fry, Sir Ian McKellen, Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Actors, pop stars, comedians.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15These people are not afraid to stand up and say,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19"You know what? We know who we are. We're not second-class citizens.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21"We've got nothing to be ashamed of."
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And do you know what? They did something about it.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28So for someone like me, growing up in isolation at home and amongst my
0:14:28 > 0:14:30friends, it was a revelation and a lifeline.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32MUSIC: West End Girls By Pet Shop Boys
0:14:36 > 0:14:41And on one magical night in 1988, here at the Piccadilly Theatre,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44the greatest British stars of a generation gathered for an evening
0:14:44 > 0:14:48of entertainment, celebrating lesbian and gay culture.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I've been doing my washing today.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56I haven't got a stitch on, except my shoes.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00I'm all in the rude under this dress.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Working backstage was a 26-year-old Ian Elmslie.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Ian, what important memorabilia have you brought to show us today?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I've brought along a programme for Before The Act,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20which was presented in this absolutely magnificent theatre.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Packed to the rafters, unfilmed.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25If you weren't here, you missed it.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And every piece of work presented in the evening had been written by a
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- gay man or lesbian.- Everything?
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Everything. Every single piece of work, every piece of music, every
0:15:33 > 0:15:35song, every extract from a play.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36But not necessarily the performers?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38No, no, no, we let the straights in.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40LAUGHTER
0:15:40 > 0:15:43We had Vanessa Redgrave there, Judi Dench.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Pinter was there. Sheila Hancock was there,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47which was a huge thrill for me.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Gary Oldman was there, and this is an autograph from
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, better known as the Pet Shop Boys.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57This was the first time that they'd ever played live in front of an
0:15:57 > 0:16:01audience, but because all the material for the evening was written
0:16:01 > 0:16:05by a gay man or lesbian, the fact that they did one of their own
0:16:05 > 0:16:09songs, It Couldn't Happen Here, informed the audience watching that
0:16:09 > 0:16:11this was written by a gay man.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13So you just go, "Oh, right, OK."
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Welcome to the club. We always knew you had it in you.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19MUSIC: It Couldn't Happen Here by Pet Shop Boys
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Alan Bennett came out that evening.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Stephen Fry came out that evening.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33That's quite powerful, isn't it?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Enormously.- It just reminded you that you're not alone.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40You've got this huge army of talent and support, and a voice.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43And to see people that you admire, you admire their work,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46who now actually come out of their comfort zone in a way.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Yeah.- You could not witness an evening like this and not be
0:16:48 > 0:16:50empowered by what you had seen.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02# Get up out of your rocking chair, grandma... #
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Despite all this opposition,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08the government was determined to press on with Section 28,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12but on the 23rd of May 1988, the night before it became law,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15there was one last memorable protest.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Good evening. The headlines at six o'clock.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21- In the House of Lords...- Stop Section 28!
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- ..a vote is taking place now on a challenge to the poll tax.- Stop Section 28!
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Tory rebels had said the tax is unfair and unpopular.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And I do apologise if you're hearing quite a lot of noise in this studio
0:17:31 > 0:17:36at the moment. I'm afraid that we have rather been invaded by some people.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Lovely. Thanks very much.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43We're protesting about rights for lesbian and gay people.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52As if us lesbians haven't suffered enough.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Being sat on by Nicholas Witchell?!
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I was at school when Section 28 became law.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It was quite a traditional Scottish school.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06We didn't talk about emotions, never mind whether you were gay or not,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09but inside I was seething.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I wasn't the only one.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17It was a shock to the entire lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer community.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21All those protests had been in vain,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23but as we moved into the 1990s,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26there was a rethink by campaigners on how to fight for equality.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30On the one hand, you had Stonewall,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33a pressure group formed to politely meet and lobby those in power.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Diplomacy was its driving force.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40There is a shift somewhere in Downing Street and I suspect
0:18:40 > 0:18:41it's coming from the top.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48And then you had those who took a more unorthodox approach.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51They didn't want to meet politicians, didn't want to shake hands.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Far less saintly, they favoured flamboyant stunts.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00I am Sister Frigidity of the Nocturnal Emission.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Sis Fridge for short.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04WHISTLE BLOWS
0:19:04 > 0:19:10In the bag is my nun's habit and all sorts of paraphernalia from my time
0:19:10 > 0:19:14as a Sister Of Perpetual Indulgence and a member of Outrage.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Outrage was like Stonewall's badly behaved sister.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26A grassroots movement formed of gay men and lesbians, it revelled in the
0:19:26 > 0:19:27art of the spectacle.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31A bit of fancy dress, add some camp and mix with street theatre.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Peter Tatchell was one of the group's co-founders and most
0:19:36 > 0:19:38high-profile provocateurs.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43We were two sides of Outrage, one was the positive aspect of
0:19:43 > 0:19:47bringing a little excitement and enjoyment into people's life and the
0:19:47 > 0:19:50other one was to challenge the homophobia which
0:19:50 > 0:19:52was rife in the 1990s.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56I've got a dirty habit...
0:20:01 > 0:20:05The habit allowed us to be very public about our sexuality.
0:20:08 > 0:20:15You can't ignore a series of gay men in nun's habits walking down the street.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19One of the things that I brought along was our Sis List,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22which is a list of all the sisters,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27so we've got Sister Ejaculata of the Imminent Spattering,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Sister Moses of the Parting Cheeks, Sister Ophelia Balls.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Is that enough for the moment?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38# Sex, sex, sex, sex crime... #
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Outrage were referred to as homosexual terrorists.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48It was about going to where we saw the problem being
0:20:48 > 0:20:53and making a noise about it, so we would go to police stations
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and hand ourselves in as sex criminals.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01MUSIC: Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) By Eurhythmics
0:21:01 > 0:21:06We were poking fun at the establishment, whatever it was,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08because it was out of step with the time.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12It's good looking back and thinking,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15we were there and we did do something, we weren't quiet,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17we were who we were.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I miss it. There were a lot of people that I miss
0:21:21 > 0:21:23that have passed on
0:21:23 > 0:21:28and it was an exciting time, it was a dangerous and frightening time,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30but it taught you how to be alive.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33Yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42In the '90s, you didn't have to wear a habit and call yourself
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Sister Frigidity to upset the law.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Just being gay and having a night out could do the trick.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54In fact, more gay men were arrested in 1990 then in 1966,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57when homosexuality was still illegal.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01A gay man can be arrested for importuning -
0:22:01 > 0:22:04that is asking another man to go to bed with him, even if it is clear
0:22:04 > 0:22:06that the other man wants to.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12But while the law was still failing to come to terms with the times,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16a vibrant and confident queer scene was blossoming.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21And in 1991, a new type of gay bar opened in Soho.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25It was called The Village and I used to drink there regularly.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32This was one of the first places that had clear glass windows where
0:22:32 > 0:22:34you could see in and outside.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37"So?" I hear you cry. "That's how glass works."
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Well, it was symbolic.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43It meant you were no longer ashamed having to go to a bar
0:22:43 > 0:22:46with darkened windows down a small alleyway.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It was very, very important. It meant we were going places.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56There were also new gay clubs springing up all over the country
0:22:56 > 0:23:00with alluring names like Joy, Flesh, and Love Muscle.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07But there was one venue that came alive in the dead of night when
0:23:07 > 0:23:11everything else was closing, that would go on to achieve legendary status.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14It was called Trade,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and everyone was welcome, regardless of their sexuality,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20social background or gender.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27So, my flat is little bit like a nightclub, it's very psychedelic,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32very colourful, it's quite kitsch, quite camp, a bit like me.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39Bright Daffodil's piece of memorabilia isn't under her bed or
0:23:39 > 0:23:41in the attic of her home. It IS her home.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Inspired by the club that changed her life.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51So the bathroom in Turnmills, at Trade, was all this mosaic tiling
0:23:51 > 0:23:55which I've mimicked in my own bathroom.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59I've got my little Trade bathroom here and there's a kind of pop art
0:23:59 > 0:24:02theme to the wallpaper, as well.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06I've got funny lights flashing on so I can have, like, a disco bath.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12MUSIC: Nightclubbing by Grace Jones
0:24:15 > 0:24:19I grew up in Dudley, in the West Midlands.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24There was absolutely no gay scene in Dudley whatsoever, I mean,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29you would kind of get, like, beaten up for being remotely feminine.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35And then one night, this big muscly knight in shining armour showed up
0:24:35 > 0:24:40from London and he had a thing for pretty boys and he asked me
0:24:40 > 0:24:44if I wanted to go to Trade when I finished work at six in the morning.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47My God, that night changed my life.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Advertised as "the original all-night bender",
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Trade was the first legal club in the UK to open all night long.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It launched the career of DJ Tony De Vit,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03the godfather of hard house.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04MUSIC PLAYS
0:25:08 > 0:25:15I mean, it was packed and I can just see this sea of the most beautiful
0:25:15 > 0:25:19people that I'd ever seen in my life and these were gay men but they
0:25:19 > 0:25:23weren't the kind of gay men that I'd ever seen,
0:25:23 > 0:25:28they were all like very macho, very brute, and I can hear this
0:25:28 > 0:25:31boom-pam, boom-pam, boom-pam...
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And everybody's kind of like rocking with the music
0:25:34 > 0:25:37and it's kind of like... It's a vibration, you know?
0:25:38 > 0:25:42For the first time in my life I was like, "Oh, my God, I'm home."
0:25:42 > 0:25:45MUSIC PLAYS
0:25:47 > 0:25:50You know, I used to get spat on in the street where I come from,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54soup thrown over me, beaten up, I've had knives pulled on me,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58guns pulled on me, and you know in Trade, I was treated like a human being,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03I was treated with respect and I was celebrated for my queerness, you know.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And that means a lot to somebody who's come from darkness,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08it was light, pure light.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12MUSIC: Army Dreamers by Kate Bush
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Trade was a place where we were encouraged to be open about our sexuality.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23But, above ground in 1990s Britain, there were still many places where
0:26:23 > 0:26:24that certainly wasn't the case.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32The most antiquated of them all was Britain's armed services.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34They were exempt from the 1967
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Decriminalisation Of Homosexuality Act
0:26:36 > 0:26:40which meant that up to the year 2000, you could still be arrested
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and court-martialed for being lesbian or gay.
0:26:44 > 0:26:50Homosexuality and its practices are simply not compatible with service
0:26:50 > 0:26:53life in the British Armed Forces.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Oh, God, this is too heavy.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05I really shouldn't have put so much stuff in here.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Emma Riley has a treasure trove of memories from a life at sea.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14This is my Navy-issue suitcase.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I don't think I've looked at this from more than, oh, I don't know,
0:27:21 > 0:27:2218 and 20 years.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27These are my service records.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Women's Royal Naval Service Certificate Of Service.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31They thought I was five foot six which is not true,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I'm five foot seven.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Date of entry, 30th of July 1990.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43I very, very distinctly remember the day that I signed the contract and
0:27:43 > 0:27:47it's got all sorts of clauses on it but I read the one that was saying,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51basically, homosexuality is incompatible with service life and I
0:27:51 > 0:27:53read that quite a lot of times before I signed it,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57but at the time I really felt that this is what I want to do,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00this is what I believe I will be good at.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03So I signed it and I got drafted to HMS Cornwall.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09I was working in the com centre, the communication centre,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11as a radio operator.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And we were the first batch of women to be on HMS Cornwall.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21I very much enjoyed the work and I was good at it.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26That's me at the front corner.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30So, this is my parents. They were very proud.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37For three years, Emma enjoyed Navy life.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41She was class leader, and earmarked as officer potential.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Then a colleague told the Royal Navy police about Emma's sexuality.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50One morning, at six o'clock, when I was asleep,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53there was a knock on the door, and they basically came in and said,
0:28:53 > 0:28:58"Get up, get dressed, get downstairs, you're under arrest."
0:28:58 > 0:28:59And then they stood me outside, and said,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02"We're going to search all of your belongings."
0:29:02 > 0:29:04So they went through all my stuff, they confiscated letters,
0:29:04 > 0:29:06they confiscated the Suede album, the original one,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10which I eventually found out has two women kissing on the front.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12A Julian Clary video, because, of course,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15if you have a Julian Clary video, you must be gay.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19And that's where they discharged me.
0:29:19 > 0:29:2126th of November 1993.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22Discharged shore.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27So I had to go back home and tell my parents not only that I was being
0:29:27 > 0:29:30thrown out of the Navy, I also had to come out to them,
0:29:30 > 0:29:31because I hadn't actually said I was gay.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38I was so terrified of how they were going to feel about it,
0:29:38 > 0:29:39how disappointed they would be.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42I'm extremely lucky, because they...
0:29:44 > 0:29:45They were...
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Excuse me. They were brilliant.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50They were lovely. They were totally supportive of me,
0:29:50 > 0:29:52and have been ever since and ever will be.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55I am very lucky to have the parents that I have.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59They said, "Don't worry, we love you."
0:30:01 > 0:30:04MUSIC: To The End By Blur
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Emma was one of hundreds kicked out of the Armed Forces every year
0:30:10 > 0:30:13in the 1990s for being gay or lesbian.
0:30:16 > 0:30:21The Army alone discharged 298 people in 1999 because of their sexuality.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29# Well, you and I... #
0:30:30 > 0:30:34But while our outdated institutions were looking to the past,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38once again it was a bit of TV pop culture that in 1994
0:30:38 > 0:30:41was showing the reality of life.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46# Looks like we've made it to the end... #
0:30:47 > 0:30:51I'm going to tell you about the most exciting night of my life.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53I was in my bleak student flat in Glasgow,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55I was on my own in the kitchen.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57On the table there was a tiny television.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Come here.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28I can't tell you how exciting that still is to see.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33It really is the most important moment in television in my entire life.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35It was two attractive young women,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37they were falling in love with each other.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40They were best friends, there was unrequited love,
0:31:40 > 0:31:41and then it came to fruition.
0:31:41 > 0:31:48It gave hope to lesbians all around the country when Beth and Margaret first kissed.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51It was truly exhilarating.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55I remember sitting on my own thinking, maybe that could happen to me.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Maybe I can find love with somebody.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00It is...
0:32:00 > 0:32:03It still gives me chills to watch that.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07All I can say is, "Thank you, Brookside."
0:32:07 > 0:32:10MUSIC: Expectations by Belle and Sebastian
0:32:10 > 0:32:14# Monday morning wake up knowing that you've got to go to school... #
0:32:14 > 0:32:20Do you know, the funny thing about that incredible lesbian episode of Brookside
0:32:20 > 0:32:23is that it was written by a guy called Shaun.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26And he's in this cafe right here.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39I don't know if you know this, but you're responsible for probably the
0:32:39 > 0:32:42most exciting night of my entire life.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46- I'm not aware of it.- And I don't suppose you had any idea at the time
0:32:46 > 0:32:48it would be so amazing.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51I think that's incredible, and that's what we wanted to do.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I know, for myself, when I was a teenager, growing up,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56there weren't those role models.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58I didn't have those moments.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01There was nothing on screen that made me actually think,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04"Do you know what? Maybe it is OK to be gay.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06"Maybe being gay isn't a bad thing."
0:33:08 > 0:33:12So, you know, the fact that it had such a positive impact on a lot of
0:33:12 > 0:33:15young people at the time, is, you know, job well done.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19In fact, as we're talking about that, I did bring some photographs.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21This is post-lesbian kiss.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- There's me with Anna Friel. - That's you with Anna Friel!
0:33:24 > 0:33:27I wish I'd been at that party.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31After that, everyone wanted to go out with someone who looked like Anna Friel.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33And if you didn't look like Anna Friel, which,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36I'll be honest with you, I didn't look like Anna Friel,
0:33:36 > 0:33:37it meant you were abandoned.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I feel quite bad about that.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45Shaun grew up in Liverpool, on the Norris estate.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51I kind of had my whole childhood stolen off me, really.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54People saying, you know, "You're gay, queer," this and that,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and then physically beating you, spitting at you.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00You know, gangs of people beating you up,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03and telling you that is a disgusting, horrible thing.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Late at night, when my younger sister would be two,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09three years old, asleep in bed, and there would just be bricks
0:34:09 > 0:34:11coming through the window.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14MUSIC: Rubber Ring By The Smiths
0:34:16 > 0:34:21At the age of 16, Shaun discovered salvation through a modern-day
0:34:21 > 0:34:22Mancunian poet.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Getting into the Smiths, Morrissey's lyrics, it's almost like this person
0:34:29 > 0:34:31you've never met is singing about your life.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Instantly, you feel less lonely.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36I decided to write a play based on one of their songs.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40# The rain falls hard on a humdrum town
0:34:40 > 0:34:44# This town has dragged you down... #
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I took the song, William, It Was Really Nothing,
0:34:46 > 0:34:51invented characters around the lyrics, and wrote this short play.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54And then it was shortlisted, eventually,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56it was put on at the Royal Court in London.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Morrissey got to hear about it,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and a letter dropped on the doormat in my old house,
0:35:01 > 0:35:0383 Branthwaite Crescent, Norris Green.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- Shaun...- Oh, my word!
0:35:10 > 0:35:12You are a star, William is just the beginning,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14and I'll see you at the Royal Court.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Your friend, Morrissey.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19# Would you like to marry me?
0:35:19 > 0:35:22# And if you like you can buy the ring
0:35:22 > 0:35:24# She doesn't care about anything... #
0:35:24 > 0:35:29That was actually just the beginning of a friendship,
0:35:29 > 0:35:30and getting to know him.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Have you got any photographs at all, of you and Morrissey?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Yeah, I've brought a couple.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40This was my idol, my icon. This is the person who gave me hope,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43who inspired me to write, who made me feel less alone where I lived,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46just through the sheer power of his music.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50To me, it didn't really matter what anybody else thought.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Morrissey liked what I wrote, that was the main thing.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00As lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people, that's LGBTQ,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04moved from the margins to the mainstream, so did their wallets.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10In the mid-90s, the phrase "the pink pound" was used to
0:36:10 > 0:36:14describe our spending power, worth £6 billion to the economy every year.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17MUSIC: Give A Little Respect by Erasure
0:36:17 > 0:36:21There were lifestyle magazines, bespoke clothing ranges,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24even the first out and proud gay doll.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29And politics was finally catching up too.
0:36:29 > 0:36:35Stephen, Labour Party, 20,500...
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Stephen Twigg was the first openly gay man to be elected.
0:36:38 > 0:36:44He swept into Parliament in 1997 as part of the new Labour government.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48The party had actively championed LGBTQ rights
0:36:48 > 0:36:51and pledged to repeal the hated Section 28.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01There was a feeling of hope which culminated on July the 5th 1997
0:37:01 > 0:37:04when a quarter of a million people gathered here on Clapham Common.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Mike Atkinson was one of them and he has a cherished memento from that day.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16I found this last night, late last night.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19I suddenly remembered I owned this precious,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21historically important garment.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24This is one of the official Pride '97 T-shirts.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Designed to be worn tucked in, I feel.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33MUSIC: Disco 2000 By Pulp
0:37:33 > 0:37:38Pride festivals had been going since the 1970s when they were political
0:37:38 > 0:37:43demonstrations, with a few hundred brave souls bearing home-made banners.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50But by 1997, it had changed beyond all recognition.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53# Our mothers said we could be sister and brother
0:37:53 > 0:37:56# Your name is Deborah, Deborah... #
0:37:56 > 0:38:02I think people forget how much optimism was in the air 20 years ago.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06One of the things you always experienced on Pride days
0:38:06 > 0:38:09is when you were travelling on the tube to the festival site,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12and the nearer you got to the tube station,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15the gayer the tube train became.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18And it felt like the whole world had gone gay.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22That's the one day in the year when you were in the majority.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24And that was always a lovely feeling.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31We were quite near the front, slightly to the right of the main stage.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33So it would've been over there.
0:38:33 > 0:38:39The first act I definitely remember seeing on stage was none other than Gina G.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Performing Ooh, Ah, Just A Little Bit.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Come on, you hussies!
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Let's get the show on the road!
0:38:46 > 0:38:50One of the defining gay anthems of the era.
0:38:50 > 0:38:51# Just a little bit
0:38:51 > 0:38:53# You know what I'm looking for
0:38:53 > 0:38:54# Ooh aah, just a little bit
0:38:54 > 0:38:56# Ooh aah, little bit more
0:38:56 > 0:38:58# Ooh aah, just a little bit... #
0:38:58 > 0:39:00So we all bopped around to Gina.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Next on were the Pet Shop Boys.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11It turns out, on a Gay Pride Day,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14the lyrics of Go West take on a different twist.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17# Together
0:39:17 > 0:39:20# We will go our way
0:39:20 > 0:39:21# Together
0:39:21 > 0:39:24# We will leave someday
0:39:24 > 0:39:25# Together
0:39:25 > 0:39:28# Your hand in my hands
0:39:28 > 0:39:29# Together
0:39:29 > 0:39:33# We will make our plans... #
0:39:33 > 0:39:35It's a song of hope, hope for freedom.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39And a sense of optimism, that we're nearly there.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43We're on the verge of stepping into the promised land.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46That was moving. And the tear ducts started to prick.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Also performing was Holly Johnson, from Frankie Goes To Hollywood,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56with the Power Of Love.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58# The power of love
0:39:58 > 0:40:03# A force from above
0:40:03 > 0:40:07# Cleaning my soul... #
0:40:07 > 0:40:10And, again, something strange happened.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13About halfway through the song,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16down at the south side of the park, fireworks started to go off.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25I turned my back on the main stage, looked behind me,
0:40:25 > 0:40:27and everywhere, it was the strangest thing,
0:40:27 > 0:40:32everywhere they were people embracing, and kissing, and hugging.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Couples snogging.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40# Cleaning my soul
0:40:43 > 0:40:46# Flame on burn desire... #
0:40:46 > 0:40:53And I felt at this extraordinary sense of connection with the whole event,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55and with the community.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00At that point, the tears really did start to flow.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05It was a really memorable end to what I think was a significant Pride.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Thank you. You've been fabulous.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19Even though lesbian, gay,
0:41:19 > 0:41:24bisexual, transgender and queer life was more accepted than ever,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26the decision to come out was still very personal,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and could be a very difficult experience.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Especially if you were one of the biggest stars in the world.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37- REPORTER:- George Michael was arrested at a park last month
0:41:37 > 0:41:40in Beverly Hills, where, in the public toilets, police say,
0:41:40 > 0:41:42they caught him engaging in a lewd act.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50And for the teenage Simon Johnson,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53the coming out of George Michael led to a special keepsake.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01This is my ticket to the 1999 Stonewall equality show.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03And the signature is upside down,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05but if I turn it the other way around,
0:42:05 > 0:42:08that is George Michael's signature.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10And after that, they were cameras all around us,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12and they were shouting at him to give me a kiss.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17And so George Michael gave me a kiss, so, I'll never forget that night!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19MUSIC: Let's Go Outside by George Michael
0:42:24 > 0:42:28The next day, my dad came home with the Sun newspaper,
0:42:28 > 0:42:33and on the front page, the Sun had covered the same concert that I'd
0:42:33 > 0:42:34been at the night before.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37My dad said to me, "Have you been to gay concerts?"
0:42:37 > 0:42:41And I said to him, "No, I've been to a concert, yes."
0:42:41 > 0:42:42And he said to me, "Are you gay?"
0:42:42 > 0:42:44And I said, "No."
0:42:44 > 0:42:47And I thought, why have you said that?
0:42:47 > 0:42:49And so he asked me again, he said, "Are you gay?"
0:42:49 > 0:42:52And I went, "Yes." It just came out.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54And then he started shouting for my mother.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57My mother comes upstairs, and he said to my mum,
0:42:57 > 0:42:59"Have you heard what your son's got to say?
0:42:59 > 0:43:03And she just said, "I know what he's going to say. I've known all this time."
0:43:06 > 0:43:09For a young gay teenager living and going to school in a small village
0:43:09 > 0:43:11in North Lincolnshire was difficult.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Bullied and considered uncool, until one night, when a ground-breaking
0:43:16 > 0:43:19bit of television completely reinvented his image.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24I was about 17 when the first episode aired
0:43:24 > 0:43:26and I made sure that I was home for it.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29It was worth it. Totally worth it.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35It just felt like it was opening up a completely different world.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36Something I hadn't seen before.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42Queer As Folk was different because it was the first programme to put
0:43:42 > 0:43:43gay life centre stage.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46It was funny and naughty.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48What do you like doing in bed?
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- Rimming. - Yeah?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54I think one of the best bits was going into school the next day,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58and my girlfriends had watched it as well, and I guess, I hate to say it,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01but a bit of cool factor, because they knew that I was gay,
0:44:01 > 0:44:05and they were really intrigued and interested about being, you know,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08me, and being gay. So I felt, finally, acceptance.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16But, within months of Queer As Folk airing,
0:44:16 > 0:44:18there was a brutal reminder that, for some people,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20gay life was still unacceptable.
0:44:27 > 0:44:31On the 30th of April 1999, three people were killed
0:44:31 > 0:44:35and more than 70 injured when a neo-Nazi planted a nail bomb in the
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Admiral Duncan pub in London's Soho.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42It was the biggest homophobic attack in British history.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47It was a sign that for all the progress made,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50violent hate crime is never far away for our community.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54Something I'm all too well aware of.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00This is Jody's name badge.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03He was one of the show managers here at Jongleurs.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04He was a very fine young man.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06And...
0:45:06 > 0:45:08We became good friends.
0:45:08 > 0:45:16One night, in 2005, on his way home, he was physically kicked,
0:45:16 > 0:45:20assaulted, and beaten to death in a homophobic attack.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Now, that really, really made me angry.
0:45:26 > 0:45:31Living in London, a cosmopolitan city, you think, wow, tolerance,
0:45:31 > 0:45:38acceptance, yet, there are people out there who are prepared to attack
0:45:38 > 0:45:44a complete stranger to the point of death because you don't understand,
0:45:44 > 0:45:48agree, accept who they are.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54I was given this badge by Jody's family.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Serving as a constant reminder that, yes, homophobia still exists.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07The paradox about these attacks is that they were happening just as we
0:46:07 > 0:46:09were starting to enjoy equal rights.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Years of lobbying, marching,
0:46:15 > 0:46:19and wearing fancy dress were finally paying off
0:46:19 > 0:46:23as the Labour Party started to push through historic changes.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28In 2000, nearly 35 years after homosexuality was decriminalised,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33the age of consent was brought into line with the heterosexual one of 16.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37The armed services ban was overturned...
0:46:39 > 0:46:43..and Section 28, for which no-one was ever prosecuted,
0:46:43 > 0:46:44was repealed in Scotland.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47Westminster followed suit three years later.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55And then, in 2005, we saw something that marked a transformation
0:46:55 > 0:46:57in the battle for equality.
0:46:59 > 0:47:05It's something that most people could never have imagined in their lifetime.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Two words. Short and simple. But so very symbolic.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11And those two words...
0:47:11 > 0:47:13I do.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19MUSIC: At Last by Ella Fitzgerald
0:47:20 > 0:47:22It was called the Civil Partnership Act,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25and it allowed couples of the same sex to have legal recognition of
0:47:25 > 0:47:27their relationship, similar to a marriage.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33My wife and I tied the knot as soon as we could,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35and so did Susan and Gerrie.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Thank you, every single one of you for being here.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41For our 20 years together!
0:47:42 > 0:47:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:47:45 > 0:47:47- ALL:- Cheers!
0:47:52 > 0:47:54We knew right from the beginning of our relationship,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57from our first kiss, that we would always be together.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Why was it important to you personally, to do this?
0:48:01 > 0:48:06We had already made our vows to each other about ten years before that,
0:48:06 > 0:48:07on a little boat in Perthshire.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11But for us, to make that public statement,
0:48:11 > 0:48:16with all our friends and family, around about us, just was very,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18very important.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Everybody that was there, probably with the exception of my parents,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- were happy for us. - That's so true!
0:48:25 > 0:48:29I had to strategically place Gerrie so I couldn't see my mother's face,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31which was a bit like fizz at the time!
0:48:31 > 0:48:33There has to be someone at a lesbian wedding who's unhappy.
0:48:33 > 0:48:34There has to be someone.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42For many, civil ceremonies were an important and historic first step.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44But not quite full marriage.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48That would have to wait until 2014,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51introduced by the then Prime Minister David Cameron,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54who said it was one of his proudest achievements.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59When it became law that you could get married,
0:48:59 > 0:49:00did you get married as well?
0:49:00 > 0:49:02We absolutely did!
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Very much so.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08We were the first women in Scotland to exchange those immortal,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10legal vows of equal marriage.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12Nicola Sturgeon was our witness.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15We never expected that we would be able to have either a civil
0:49:15 > 0:49:16partnership or a marriage.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22But those two changes to have come within a decade, it's just amazing.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26CHEERING
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Same-sex marriage sent a powerful message of equality.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35It didn't matter any longer whether you were straight or gay.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38MUSIC: Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher by Eileen
0:49:38 > 0:49:40But for one section of our community,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43the road to acceptance has been slower.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47In Britain today, there are thought to be around 650,000 people who feel
0:49:47 > 0:49:50a different gender to the one they were born into.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54We're in complete limbo, we're neither male nor female.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57The law says we're male, but physically, we're female.
0:49:59 > 0:50:04Trans people finally got legal status in 2004.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08But, as with everything in life, it's the small things that matter.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11For Jennifer Black, it was the purchase of an item
0:50:11 > 0:50:14she'd secretly coveted for years as a man.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Today, I've come down with my Ugg boots.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24I bought them here in Covent Garden, four years ago today.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26It was the day I transitioned,
0:50:26 > 0:50:29and these were the first item of clothing that I bought.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I'd always wanted a pair.
0:50:31 > 0:50:35My friend Tina said they're like wearing little clouds on your feet,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37in heaven. And that just summed them up for me.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40They're so beautiful. These boots mean so much to me.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44It was the start of a new life. It was a whole new chapter for me.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47And I'll never part with these boots, no matter how ragged they get!
0:50:54 > 0:50:57I knew I was different from other children from a very, very early age.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59I just didn't understand why.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05It was around the 14 mark, when I said to my dad, you know,
0:51:05 > 0:51:07I don't feel right.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09I don't understand. I feel like I shouldn't be a boy.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15My dad arranged to take me to the local doctor,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18and the doctor explained to me that this was just a phase I was going
0:51:18 > 0:51:20through, and I would grow out of it.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Part of you wants to believe it is just a phase
0:51:23 > 0:51:26and you kind of say in your head, yes, it is, you know.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28This is something I will grow out of.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30But you don't. You don't grow out of it.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32It doesn't go away. It never leaves you.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39For 40 years, Jennifer lived as a man, got married, and even had a family.
0:51:41 > 0:51:47I tried my hardest to live an ordinary life, to just be a normal man,
0:51:47 > 0:51:51but with these thoughts all the time inside me that things weren't right.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57In 2013, I realised I had to do something about it.
0:51:59 > 0:52:04That was taken about two years before I transitioned.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06It seems like, well, it is another lifetime ago, actually.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11My brother, bless him, I told him what I intended to do,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and he sat down and he said, "Well, I have to say," he says,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16"You're going to be a pretty ugly woman!"
0:52:17 > 0:52:22I've got the letter here from my very first appointment with the
0:52:22 > 0:52:24NHS Gender Service.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27The 28th of January 2013.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31This was the day I actually transitioned.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35And this was the starting point, the turning point in my life,
0:52:35 > 0:52:37a new chapter had begun.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41So this letter, not for its content, but just what it signifies,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43will always be important to me.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44As important as my Ugg boots.
0:52:46 > 0:52:52I feel more content now than I have in the previous 50-plus years of my life.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58MUSIC: Brimful Of Asha by Cornershop
0:52:58 > 0:53:02How we treat lesbian, gay, bisexual, trams and queer people is a vital
0:53:02 > 0:53:06sign of the sort of society we aspire to build.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09In the last ten years in Britain we've become more visible,
0:53:09 > 0:53:11more accepted in the mainstream.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14It's a badge of our modern, liberal way of life.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21But even today in some communities, revealing one's true identity can
0:53:21 > 0:53:22still be fraught with difficulty.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Birmingham Pride, and the year 2015,
0:53:29 > 0:53:32will forever be etched in the mind of Khakan Qureshi.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36This was when his South Asian lesbian and gay,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39bi and trans group decided to come out of the shadows,
0:53:39 > 0:53:41and make the most public of appearances.
0:53:42 > 0:53:47It was a fantastic event, because we made our way down this route here.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51The crowds were really busy. All sorts of music blaring out.
0:53:51 > 0:53:52For me, it was...
0:53:53 > 0:53:55It was just fantastic, really.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01Pride is associated with vibrant colours, the occasional bit of flesh,
0:54:01 > 0:54:02and outlandish outfits.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07Khakan, however, decided on something a little more individual.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11What I'm wearing right now is the outfit that I wore at
0:54:11 > 0:54:17Birmingham Pride itself which was, like, a tweed green jacket,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21a pink shirt, brogues, as well, which is quintessentially British.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23And then I had of the Union Jack bag as well,
0:54:23 > 0:54:27because it howls the fact that you're British and Asian.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Your skin colour tells you that you're Asian.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33But your clothing tells the world that you're British.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Growing up in Birmingham, I'm the youngest of seven,
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Muslim Pakistani background as well.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46And my religion tells me that...
0:54:46 > 0:54:49You know, well, I say religion, but it's people who think they know
0:54:49 > 0:54:52the religion who'll tell you that being gay is forbidden.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54It's haram.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Even now, people are fearful of what their family will think.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02They don't want to be disowned by their parents.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05They don't want to be ostracised within the community.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Homophobia is still very strong in the South Asian community.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11So I think it's about confidence, and strength to overcome it,
0:55:11 > 0:55:13and say, "I don't care what you say. This is my life
0:55:13 > 0:55:15"and this is the way I'm going to lead it."
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Never, ever, in my wildest dreams, did I think I would lead a group of
0:55:23 > 0:55:27South Asian LGBT through Birmingham Pride.
0:55:27 > 0:55:28WHISTLES BLOW
0:55:28 > 0:55:31Coming together was a big effort.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33We felt quite vulnerable.
0:55:33 > 0:55:37We thought we're going to stick out like sore thumbs, here.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40So we were quite subdued at the beginning.
0:55:40 > 0:55:42But somebody decided, you know, are we going to have a chant?
0:55:42 > 0:55:45Because the group is called Finding A Voice.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48And we are all... "I don't know, it's going to draw more attention
0:55:48 > 0:55:49"to the group. Shall we, shall We not?"
0:55:49 > 0:55:53And somebody says, "Do you know what? Let's just do it!"
0:55:53 > 0:55:57Find your voice! Find your voice!
0:55:57 > 0:56:02We started chanting, "Find your voice! Find your voice!"
0:56:02 > 0:56:05And then the crowds picked up on that as well, and you know,
0:56:05 > 0:56:08to have the crowds chanting it back with us. It was just...
0:56:16 > 0:56:20It was a fantastic memory, you know, and two years down the line,
0:56:20 > 0:56:22it was a big moment.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24- # Just a perfect day...- #
0:56:28 > 0:56:30You know, we're like the hidden subculture.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34And people think you can't be black and gay,
0:56:34 > 0:56:36or you can't be Asian and LGBT.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39But the reality is, we can all be what we want to be.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44You know. Our sexual orientation, and gender identity is from A to Z.
0:56:44 > 0:56:50MUSIC: Freedom By George Michael
0:56:52 > 0:56:54A first Pride.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56A pair of Ugg boots.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00A song, march or nun's habit.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04These were the moments that changed people's lives forever.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09Over this series we've heard personal stories of heartbreak,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13shame and seen how, for LGBTQ people,
0:57:13 > 0:57:18Britain today is a very different country to the Britain of 1967.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23In Britain 50 years ago, we were outsiders.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Pitied, feared, abused.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30Since then there have been dangerous times, sad times,
0:57:30 > 0:57:32but also times of great happiness and fun.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35# Heaven knows I was just a young boy
0:57:35 > 0:57:38# Didn't know what I wanted to be
0:57:38 > 0:57:40# Didn't know what I wanted to be... #
0:57:40 > 0:57:43Today, we can choose how we live.
0:57:43 > 0:57:48Choose where we work, and also choose who you fall in love with.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50And even get married to them!
0:57:53 > 0:57:56We can also choose not to get married.
0:57:56 > 0:57:57But that's the point.
0:57:57 > 0:57:58We have a choice!
0:58:01 > 0:58:02Who's going to marry me?
0:58:04 > 0:58:06For many, it remains hard to be different.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09And homophobia still exists.
0:58:09 > 0:58:14But the changes we've seen during the last 50 years for LGBT life in Britain...
0:58:14 > 0:58:17..have been nothing short of remarkable.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20# All we have to see
0:58:20 > 0:58:23# Is that I don't belong to you
0:58:23 > 0:58:25# And you don't belong to me
0:58:25 > 0:58:26# Yeah, yeah
0:58:26 > 0:58:28# Freedom... #
0:58:28 > 0:58:32Explore more about Britain's LGBT history and how things have changed.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Go to the website on screen and follow the links
0:58:34 > 0:58:36to the Open University.
0:58:36 > 0:58:39# Freedom # I won't let you down
0:58:39 > 0:58:42# Freedom # So please don't give me up
0:58:42 > 0:58:43# Freedom
0:58:43 > 0:58:47# Cause I would really, really love to stick around
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy
0:58:51 > 0:58:57# What a kick, just a buddy and me What a kick, just a buddy and me
0:58:57 > 0:59:01# We had every big-shot goodtime band on the run, boy
0:59:01 > 0:59:04# We were living in a fantasy. #