Two fundraising guided walks to support international LGBT activists will take place in September and uncover the hidden sexual history of some familiar surroundings.
London-based activist Richard Cohen is leading the guided tours, in affiliation with the Amnesty International Mayfair and Soho group, showcasing the fascinating heritage of London’s LGBT community.
The walks take in Covent Garden, Soho, Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and King’s Cross, and feature stories of Oscar Wilde, and a Victorian scandal which rocked the establishment to the core.
Charlotte Street’s “notorious” Fitzroy Tavern which was the headquarters of the literary and artistic demimonde of the 1920s and 1930s and its Bohemian sub-cultures will be one of the many venues explored en route.
The walks will also pass the vanguard of lesbian and gay theatre and a bookshop which has been at the heart of the LGBT community since 1979, and the homes of the writers and artists of the Bloomsbury Set who challenged Victorian codes of behaviour and see the house where the great genius of polari Kenneth Williams was brought up.
Cohen will relate how the LGBT community rallied together to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and visit the place where the first same sex weddings were joyously celebrated.
The suggested donation of £10 per person will go towards supporting LGBT activists in Russia and Chechnya, and fighting against homophobic victimisation of LGBT people around the world.
From Mollies to Pride: London’s LGBT Heritage, 6.30pm Wednesday 5 September 2018. Meet at the Eleanor Cross in front of Charing Cross Station. Pay on the day (suggested contribution £10). Contact by text 07852 14 1425. Alternatively sign up through Eventbrite.
From Prejudice to Pride: Our LGBT heritage in Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury, 6.30pm Wednesday 26 September 2018. Meet outside Goodge Street Station. Pay on the day (suggested contribution £10) Contact by text on 07852 14 1425 or book through Eventbrite.