Celebrating Pride Month with "Pride" the Movie
As Pride month comes to an end, it is important to take a look back in history and remember the many activists who fought for LGBTQ+ rights before us. The movie Pride, available on Amazon Prime, does just that. Based on a true story, Pride recounts an unusual relationship between Welsh miners on strike and a group of gay and lesbian activists from London. The movie is set in the 1980s amidst the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but many of the central themes still feel relevant today.
The plot follows multiple characters through their coming out journeys, long-overdue returns to households and families that were not accepting of their sexuality, and the emotionally and physically taxing fight with HIV/AIDS. The main storyline revolves around a group of lesbian women and gay men from London who notice that they are no longer being terrorized by the media and law enforcement. Instead of using this as a time to recollect and rest, the protagonists decide to raise money for the striking coal miners who are now facing the brunt of police brutality and harassment. In order to do this, they form a group called Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM).
At first, the miners in the small town to which LGSM travels are resistant to their support. They are a relatively conservative group of people, and, although they need the help, many of them are worried about their image being tarnished by accepting money from “perverts.” Over time, and with the help of a few sympathetic townspeople and the perseverance of LGSM, the miners grow to appreciate the assistance and knowledge that the gay activists bring to the table. Many even develop friendships with these people who seem different yet share many similarities with themselves. One of the members of LGSM connects with the Welsh miners because he is a Welsh man who escaped to London when he came out to his family. Others learn to appreciate each other as humans who can share a joke or a cup of coffee. Most of all, the miners and members of LGSM come together over their mutual desire for respect from the police, the media, and the rest of the citizens of the United Kingdon.
The film brings to light many important themes, the most poignant being unity. At the beginning of the film, some members of LGSM are disgruntled because they don’t think it is wise to spend time and energy raising money for the miners, many of whom are homophobic. Others leave LGSM to form their own group that better serves their needs. When this occurs, the leader of the group, Mark Ashton, asks “What’s the point of supporting gay rights and no one else’s rights?” This line connects well to WomenSafe’s values of liberation for all. One of WomenSafe’s core values is derived from a quotation by Lilla Watson: “If you are coming to help me, you are wasting your time. But, if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, let us work together.” Mark Ashton and the other members of LGSM realize that in order for them to have freedom, everyone, including the miners, needs to be free. Ashton’s line also evokes ideas of intersectionality: that being a miner and being gay are not mutually exclusive identities. At WomenSafe we fight for the rights of queer survivors and, in doing so, attempt to advocate for all queer folks and all survivors.
At the end of the film, after LGSM has shown up countless times to support the miners, their roles switch and the miners show up to London’s Pride parade in support of their friends and partners in LGSM.
The movie highlights ideas of unity and union, reminding us that while we may have differences, we are all human and can almost always find ways to connect with each other. So often we spend time focusing on the ways in which the people around us are distinct from ourselves, just as the miners did in Pride. The film illustrates the power that comes from working to find our similarities with others and then making an active decision to value those over our differences. Joining together in union, while still acknowledging our differences, is the best way to fight against a greater evil.
By Lila Sternberg-Sher
she/her