Before Stonewall: Jane H's Interview Clip 1 of 5
From the collection of
From the collection of
Jane reveals that even in the rural Welsh Borders of the 1960s, gay people were not as few and far between as one might suppose.
In this extract, Jane recounts her family life in a socialist household living in the Welsh borders. Raised in an atmosphere of tolerance, Jane and her sister, also a lesbian, were encouraged by their parents to grow up without any prejudices. Suspecting, in retrospect, that her father might actually have been gay himself, Jane further encountered gay people when her mother took a job at a 'swanky' rural hotel close to where they lived. Here the majority of the staff were gay and the owner was described by Jane as a 'screaming queen with cats'. She recalls that despite the regulars who drank at the bar, usually big burly farming types, there never seemed to be any overt homophobia.
The only over-the-top 'camp' behaviour Jane ever saw at this time was on the television. Despite this background, Jane would not fully 'come out' as a lesbian until she was in her early thirties.
Jane was born in the late 1940s to a family living in Hay-on-Wye in the Welsh borders. Both parents were socialists and encouraged their children to have a tolerant outlook. A happy child, Jane's mother ran a local hotel and Jane got to know many gay people who worked there. Her mother also befriended the transexual celebrity, April Ashley, and Jane recalls meeting her and her many dogs. April Ashley died in 2021.
Jane went to college, becoming an academic administrator and lived a 'straight' life until her thirties when she decided to come out as a lesbian. She was active in the 'Slip of the Tongue' theatre group as well as forum theatre in London. She also co-edited a book entitled 'Girl to Girl'.