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Memories by Trevor Sword

Lesbian and Gay Centre helped me come out '84

“The Lesbian and Gay community Centre in Corporation Street, Aston near the Fire Station had recently opened (1984). My friend said it looked quite accessible, so I went and that’s when I started to come out. It was a coffee bar with some socials and...

Disablity and the Lesbian and Gay Centre c.1984

Trevor is disabled and uses a wheelchair, talks about the culture at the Lesbian and Gay Community Centre, Aston in the mid 1980s.“To some extent there were still prejudices but there was a culture of much more acceptance and there were another coupl...

Closure of Lesbian and Gay Centre, Aston, '86

“It was really sad when the Lesbian and Gay Community Centre closed down. It existed for about three to four years with major funding from the then West Midlands County Council and then we lost the funding. No one had much commercial acumen also no o...

Clubbing at the Powerhouse 1985

“Eventually I made friends and got the confidence to go out on the scene. There was a one nighter at the Powerhouse. Thursday night was gay night, and it was the best venue in Birmingham. It’s still there, called something else. It has been a club si...

Wombourne Campaign 1986

“The only local campaign I can remember was against Wombourne, a little Council in the Black Country, Staffordshire way. The Tory leader of the Council said, ‘This AIDS is doing us all a favour, all the gays should be gassed.’ A bunch of us picketed ...

AIDS politicised the gay community

“The real politicisation of the gay community started with HIV/AIDS. Until becoming involved with AIDSline West Midlands, Trevor didn’t think that he knew anyone with AIDS. He says, “I got involved through compassion and anger and because it was a po...

AIDS lifeline and AIDSline West Midlands

“I’d moved on from the Gay Centre and was involved at that time with AIDSline West Midlands, in 1988”. He did phone work and buddying, and also started to do some education work. He then got involved in organising the group and then became the Chair ...

AIDSline West Midlands funding

During the time that Trevor was Chair, the group began negotiations for three quarters of a million pounds; AIDSline West Midlands was seen as the main organisation, able to deliver and therefore got the money. They had three paid workers, a training...

Helping to organise the first Pride 1996

Trevor joined the Birmingham Pride committee (The Triangle Committee) in November 1996, which was set up to organise the first Pride in May 1997. Trevor was the Secretary; there were about ten people involved on the executive committee and they broug...

HIV awareness training

Trevor then got a job as a trainer with Sandwell Social Services as HIV training officer. His job was to provide awareness training for staff from Directors to home care staff. One course he delivered so convinced them that other issues which needed ...

Clause 28 caused so much anger

“I got involved in campaigns, firstly against Clause 28 back in 1988. It was one of the best things that happened to the gay community. The Clause caused such anger amongst non politicised lesbians and gay men at the end of the fear and homophobia th...

Marches in London and Manchester

“There was never a Clause 28 demonstration in Birmingham, the gay community wasn’t confident enough but we went to marches in Manchester and London. On the massive London march some extreme left wing militants from the SWP (Socialist Workers’ Party) ...

Trying to go 'straight' teens and twenties 1970s

Trevor states, "For the next few years I tried to ignore my feelings. I didn’t have any sexual experience until I moved to Prospect Hall and was still being attracted to men. But I was still a virgin at that point. At 20 I took the first opportunity ...

Sean Connery gave me an erection in 1967

“When I was ten years old there was a traumatic incident, but I now find it rather funny. I had gone to the cinema with my mother and father and I was sitting between them. It was a James Bond film and women were disrobing frequently which left me un...

First sex with a man - 1981

“I came out in 1985 but there was a two to three year period before that when I began to recognise my homosexuality. I realised that something was wrong. I had no prejudice against homosexuals, but it’s a big step to accept that you might be one of t...

I didn't shape up with my disability - 1985

Trevor is disabled and uses a wheelchair.“As an outsider back in the eighties, the gay scene was very frightening. I got the feeling that the scene was very body conscious and gay men in particular seemed obsessed with the body beautiful and the male...

Coming out to a friend, 1985

“Then a friend from my political circle rang me to tell me that he had got divorced. At the end of the phone call I thought ‘He’s gay’. He was talking about having highlights in his hair and a number of other things. He came around for a chat and I s...

Attitudes to disability in the 1980s

Attitudes to disability in the 1980sTrevor, who is severely disabled and uses a wheelchair says “Attitudes were very different twenty years ago both to being gay and disabled. We’ve moved on. The reaction to me as a disabled gay man has not been easy...

Attitudes to disabled gays in the 90s.

Trevor, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, talked about attitudes to disabled gays in the 90s.“A thing that made me very angry happened about ten years ago. ‘Boyz’ magazine (a weekly scene orientated magazine available freely in the commercial ve...

Lack of disabled access c2007

Trevor, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, talks about the lack of disabled access c.2007Trevor states, “Even now there are only three or four venues that are accessible to me. I can’t get into Angels, The Village or Partners. I can get into The ...