The origins of the GLF manifesto
1971
Nick talks about the origin of the GLF manifesto.
“It was patriated from New York into London Gay Liberation Front by Aubrey (Walter) and then we looked at it here in Birmingham and discussed and contributed.”
“It was all the classic stuff about equal access to the law, gay marriages, and one of the major things was the ceasing of medical oppression. One of the things that dates it now was an attack on Christianity, it was very clearly anti Christian, something like “the oppression that the Christian religion has created in term of sexuality, means that Christianity must be in every respect dispelled and disabled”. This was a reaction against organisations like the evangelical Festival of Light, which were more vocal in those days.”
“Looking back it was wonderful really, I think that GLF actually had some wonderful principles and the whole of the political development of the lesbian and gay community has been based on the major principles of the GLF manifesto. The GLF manifesto now looks very dated in lots of ways, but every element of that manifesto has now been developed and actually put into force. This was a national manifesto developed by all the GLF groups in the early 1970s; it’s still available on line.”
Contributed by: Nick Stanley, 63