The Gloria Stories

From the collection of

The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com

The Gloria Stories

North East Film Archive
Newcastle upon Tyne
1989
Sound

Echoes of Orwell ring out in a near-future, police-state Britain. Is there anywhere left for love to hide?

When Margaret Thatcher's government introduced legislation outlawing the 'promotion of homosexuality' in 1988, there was no way of knowing where it would end. Some saw it as a state-sanctioning of homophobia, and many in the LGBT community feared an escalation of restrictions, and even surveillance. This video gives us a piercing insight into attitudes and fears at the time.

In 1988 the Conservative government introduced an amendment to the 1986 Local Government Act decreeing that local authorities "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" nor "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.""

The amendment, known as 'Clause 28' (or Section 28 once it passed into law) was met with widespread protests, including an invasion of the BBC's flagship news program, The Six O'Clock News, by a lesbian group. The broadcast continued, with newsreader Sue Lawley reading the news while her co-presenter Nicholas Witchell grappled with protesters, and allegedly sat on one of them. Section 28 was eventually repealed in Scotland in 2000, and in England and Wales in 2003.

Unheard Voices

Witness the flashpoints in history when the tide turned against inequality and the North East began to embrace its own rich diversity.

Thanks to its sea coast and relative closeness to Scandinavia, the North East has been a cultural melting pot since before records began. Vikings, Anglo Saxons and merchant sailors from even further afield have brought art, ideas and customs to add to an already rich cultural heritage. However, some perspectives have traditionally been suppressed in a culture which favoured white, Christian, heterosexual conformity. This collection gives a voice to people who have been voiceless for too long.

9 videos in this collection