Pride

Scene 13: Joe’s secret is revealed (1:11:24-1:12:35)

Joe’s sister, Tina, is in Joe’s bedroom with their mother while Marion changes the bedsheets. Tina informs Marion that she’s looking for something else other than a bible reading for her baby’s christening and Marion is clearly shocked. This departure from tradition highlights that even the slightest deviation can be an affront to an avid traditionalist. It highlights the battle that Joe will have in being one hundred percent truthful with his mother, an event which seems to be coming faster than expected when Tina finds the children’s book where Joe has hidden the evidence of his preferred lifestyle.

Scene 13 Quotes

‘… You can have all kinds of things nowadays.’ (Tina, to her mother on wanting something different for her baby’s christening) Scene 13

Scene 14: The Pits and Perverts Benefit Ball (1:12:35-1:21:17)

The group has taken on a name for the ball that was intended to be derogatory and by reappropriating it for their purpose, have depleted it of its power.

The concert begins at the Electric Ballroom in Camden where Mark relishes being in the spotlight. He begins by welcoming ladies and gentlemen and then by way of further inclusion, welcomes ‘gays, straights, and the as-yet-undecided’. Joe continues his role as the official group photographer. Upbeat Bronski Beat music plays in the background, and wide shots show a packed dancefloor indicating the success of the night. Close-ups show smiling faces enjoying themselves including visitors from the Dulais Valley. Carl shows off his newfound dance skills and, in doing so, exemplifies someone whose open-mindedness and acceptance has resulted in learning something new and fun, extending his appeal with the girls. During the concert, Zoe and Stella hand a leaflet to Steph via Joe about a women’s only breakaway group from the LGSM group.

Dai takes to the stage and expresses the history-making solidarity between two groups who had previously been separate. The wide shot of the stage reveals a mix of the mining community and the LGSM community, shoulder to shoulder, highlighting the solidarity. Carl and Gary haven’t heard the speech, and are instead preoccupied with their new conquests, the London girls. Dai once again uses the analogy of the banner, with the two hands joined together, while he and Mark join hands, symbolising solidarity between the groups, and pledges that when it’s time to show solidarity for the gays, the miners will be there in reciprocity. In the darkened area of the concert hall, a young man leads Joe by the hand and their kiss is silhouetted against the lights of the stage. Joe seems to have fully embraced his sexuality. Warchus has successfully created tension by revealing to the viewer that Joe’s secret has been uncovered, and that an intense confrontation awaits him at home while he is innocently having a good time at the concert.

After the benefit concert, Jonathan leads the Onllwyn group out on a night out as they ‘want to see everything’. A montage of smoke-filled rooms with colourful lights and equally colourful characters shows that the women are equally at home in the new gay pub scene as they are in the mining village welfare hall. In a slightly more sombre tone, Mark bumps into an ex-lover, Tim, in a stairwell, who announces that he hasn’t been home in four days as he’s on a ‘farewell tour’. Tim’s lack of clarity around the reason for the ‘tour’ suggests something dark and ominous. A drunken Gail reveals to Steph that she was married young and had always thought sex was just for men, before kissing Steph.

In a scene that mirrors the hospitality extended to the LGSM group when they visited the Dulais Valley, Jonathan and Gethin have opened their house to Hefina and the ladies for the night. The ladies seem girlish and free, as though at a slumber party, and joke around with some paraphernalia they find in the room.

Scene 14 Quotes

‘Can you see what we’ve done here? By coming together – all of us – by pledging our solidarity, our friendship – we’ve made history.’ (Dai, addressing the Pits and Perverts Benefits Ball) Scene 14

‘I’ll listen to a certain amount of drunken bollocks, Gail but sex is not just for the men. It’s for the women too. Believe me.’ (Steph) Scene 14

Scene 15: Joe’s ‘coming out’ (1:21:17-1:22:20)

In the early hours of the morning Joe returns home seeming content, the peaceful sunrise a stark contrast to what waits for him inside the house.

Marion, Joe’s mother, sits on the couch, tears streaming down her face, and behind her, Joe’s stern-looking father, for the first time engaged with Joe, compared to previous scenes where he is portrayed as passive and preoccupied. Strewn on the table are a collection of Joe’s pictures and articles regarding his activities with the LGSM. The inclusion of The Children’s Treasury of Verse encapsulates Joe’s character; previously he had innocently hidden his secret inside the pages of the children’s book, but now they were forcibly out in the open, denoting his coming out to a new identity. A close up of Joe’s previously content face, now reveals fear.

Scene 16: The vote (1:22:20-1:30:00)

The LGSM and the visiting Dulais Valley group are counting the money raised from the benefit concert. A distracted Mark looks at a poster on the wall: ‘Tested? AIDS kills’. The presence of the poster is a constant reminder of another threat, not just of prejudice, but a physical threat; Mark Ashton will himself be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and Jonathan will be the second person to be diagnosed with the disease in the UK.

The group hurry to leave London, disappointed that Joe is not there to join them and unable to contact him, however they must leave in order to make it to Onllwyn before the time of the vote. Jonathan and Gethin proudly watch on as the group leave.

A dolly shot tracking Cliff rests on a poster that shows the union meeting vote has been brought forward by three hours. This seeming deliberate act of treachery means the group will unlikely be back in time to represent themselves at the vote.

Interjected into the day of the vote is a non-focused shot with continued music rather than words of Joe with his parents. The anger levelled at Joe by his father is unmistakable. Warchus deliberately conceals the details of Joe’s father’s outrage as Joe would experience this more as a feeling than as an intellectual moment.
Meanwhile, Cliff and Martin plan on how to stall the meeting.

Joe’s mother approaches a visibly distressed Joe who is in tears and covering his face, questioning whether he is ready for the repercussions of his lifestyle. Ultimately, they embrace, demonstrating how a mother’s love can supersede ideology.

At the meeting, Cliff is forced to speak on behalf of the committee in their absence. A nervous Cliff is mocked by the unionists, who ask why he doesn’t deliver his speech as a poem. Martin takes to his feet and interjects, stating that the meeting is unlawful and that many of the people who are there are not even from the village. This shows a deliberate ploy by Maureen, who is present at the meeting, and other unionists, to disassociate themselves from the LGSM group.

The committee arrive home believing they have two hours to spare and are dismayed to find that the meeting has already taken place. A close up of Cliff’s forlorn face reveals the outcome of the meeting. Hefina and Maureen clash after Maureen’s treachery becomes obvious. Sian dumps the takings of the concert on the table, showing that the group had sent money to help and that they weren’t simply trying to push their own ‘gay rights’ agenda. Cliff confronts Maureen on the way out. The exchange parallels that of Joe’s coming out, in that in the same way someone could be hiding their sexuality, another person could be hiding something more sinister, like hate and prejudice.

The alliance has come to an end, Dai hugs Mark and encourages him, expressing thanks for all his support. Gwen reveals to Steph that the girls have ‘opened’ her eyes. The emotional goodbyes depict the depth of the bonds formed between the two groups. The colourful bus leaving a beige-toned town symbolises the end of the LGSM’s presence in Onllwyn. The group on the bus are obviously devastated. The extreme long shot of the bus crossing the bridge, similar to the shot when the LGSM group first travelled to Onllwyn, emblematises the end of their interaction with the community.

Scene 16 Quotes

‘It’s such a terrible life, Joe. It’s lonely. Is that what you want? No family. Hiding from people at work. From everyone. Keeping secrets.’ (Marion, Joe’s mother) Scene 16

‘You think you’ve known someone your whole life. Turns out they’re a complete stranger.’ (Cliff to Maureen) Scene 16

‘Don’t give it all to the fight. Save some for home. There’s more to life, you know.’ (Dai to Mark) Scene 16

‘You girls have opened my eyes.’ (Gwen to Steph) Scene 16

Scene 17: The fallout of the lost union vote (1:30:00-1:34:41)

Mark does not take the defeat well and trailed by Mike, leaves the bookshop. Mike questions Mark on what he’s going to do now. A furious Mark turns his anger on a loyal Mike and berates him for that loyalty, saying Mike has failed to make his own decisions and has been smothering.

Undeterred by the outcome of the vote, Gethin continues to collect for the miners. This reveals that the cause was much more important to Gethin than he had initially felt, as a gay person coming from a mining town. He is accosted by a member of the gay community who says Gethin’s focus should be solely on gay rights as ‘there’s gay people dying every day’. Gethin has broken the group’s rule by collecting alone, the others having given up, and he is confronted by a male stranger. Although the violence is not seen on screen, it is revealed through Steph arriving at Joe’s house and asking Joe’s mother to pass on the message that Gethin has been beaten up and is in hospital. Joe’s mother has lied that Joe is not at home and then lies to Joe about who was at the door.

The sudden appearance of a stranger who has beaten up Gethin is one of many instances the film raises about the safety issues surrounding the gay community at this time. From the beginning of the parade where skinheads threw objects, the package that was thrown through the glass window at the bookshop, the ever-present threat of AIDS as seen by posters on the wall, and the attitudes of members of society, a cumulative picture is presented to show the struggles of the community.

Cliff feels guilty that he did not say more or speak better at the union meeting. While preparing sandwiches for the striking miners, he reveals to Hefina that he is gay. She responds that she has known since 1968. The fact that she has never raised this with Cliff is a testament to her tolerance. It is a heart-warming scene as the two continue to make sandwiches side by side, in a comfortable silence, the depth of their friendship never more apparent.

Hefina arrives in the new van, donated by the LGSM, to pick up the miners to take them to the protest line. They seem shocked and reluctant to board the van. Warchus delays the reveal of a shot of the outside of the van until a close up of the front door reveals in large writing ‘donated by lesbians and gay men, support the miners’.

Scene 17 Quotes

‘Never mind the miners. There’s gay people dying every day.’ (A gay man to Gethin when he is collecting for the miners) Scene 16

Scene 18: The strike is over (1:34:41-1:44:40)

On screen text reveals that it is Monday March 4th 1985, and a voiceover from a female newsreader announces that ‘Britain’s longest running national strike is over’. Joe sees the news on the television.

In the Dulais Valley, a marching band followed by the miners takes to the streets. Maureen sends her sons off to work while holding a photo of her husband, Cliff’s brother, who had died in the mines. This reveals a human side to the plight of the miners who face their own adversity on a daily basis with the dangerous work they undertake in poor conditions. Joe arrives at Onllwyn and is watching the march. He is embraced by Martin. Mark is also at the town, his distance and hood reveal he does not wish to be recognised. Both Joe and Mark appear drawn to the town by the depth of the connections they have made. The wives have lined the streets as the miners return to work. Although this film was focused on the work of members of the gay community, historically, the wives are also remembered for their incredible support of the miners during the strike.

Joe spies Mark and chases him down the road. Marks says he’s leaving and once again turns his frustration on those who are closest to him. He asks Joe why he doesn’t leave and Joe says that he did leave. Mark further challenges him saying ‘that’s not leaving, it’s running’. Mark highlights that sneaking out of his ‘mammy’s house’ is not necessarily taking a bold stand but still trying to find a compromise for who he is, one that will be comfortable for those around him, but come at the loss of his identity. Mark implores Joe to ‘have some pride’ as ‘life is short’. Mark’s references to a short life, coupled with his concern over the AIDS posters, suggest he is carrying secret fears of his own. Mark gives Joe a badge that says he is ‘discreetly gay’. The badge has a pink triangle, an emblem used in World War 2 by the Nazis to denote homosexuals, another example by the gay community in embracing something that was designed to hurt them in order to remove its venom.

Sian gives Joe some lunch and tells him that she’ll be taking him home. Her young girls pass Joe a note intended for Jeff with love hearts, denoting a schoolgirl crush. The example set by Sian and Martin has enabled their children to feel comfortable with the LGSM group, and follows on from the narrative set at the beginning of the film when the children anticipated the outcome of the conversation between their parents.

Hand in hand, Sian and Joe visit Gethin in hospital, where Jonathan is doting on Gethin. Even from his hospital bed, Gethin reveals his caring nature as he asks Sian to keep an eye on Jonathan, who he reveals is HIV-positive, and implores her to help Jonathan get some groceries in.

The arrival of Gethin’s mother reveals a positive outcome from Gethin’s impromptu visit with her while he visited Onllwyn. Sian and Jonathan share a moment in the garden courtyard of the hospital. Jonathan reveals that he was the second person diagnosed with HIV in the UK and asks Sian what she is going to do now. True to her caring nature, her response is that she is going to make him soup, but when questioned further, she reveals what would be typically accepted in her station in life: ‘a wife and mother’. Jonathan suggests Sian should not accept a stereotypical station for her life based on location and gender. This advice turns out to have been heeded as Sian will later run for politics.

Symbolically, Joe is not dropped at the corner but pulls up at the front of his house in the van with Gay and Lesbians Support the Miners on the door. Joe has taken Mark’s advice and drawn a line in the sand. It is poignant to note that Sian is with him, showing the importance of support not found in this instance within the gay community itself but in an open-minded mother from Wales. Marion asks Sian to remove the van from the front lawn, obviously embarrassed in front of the guests at Tina’s baby’s christening who are socialising on the front lawn. Joe makes a dramatic exit, finally leaving the family home, not simply sneaking out. Steph meets Joe at the bar and slides a beer towards him, their friendship intact. She welcomes him into her home.

Scene 18 Quotes

‘Back then, when we knew even less about this thing they gave out numbers with each diagnosis. One, two, three and so on. Of course, once they started getting into the
high thousands … I’m number two.’ (Jonathan to Sian, about his HIV diagnosis) Scene 18

‘I’m a wife and mother, love.’ (Sian to Jonathan) Scene 18

‘I hope you appreciate him. Because there’s a whole village back in Wales who thinks he’s a hero.’ (Sian to Joe’s mother) Scene 18

Scene 19: 1985 London Gay Pride Parade (1:44:40-1:53:56)

Bright blue skies suggest some hope after the preceding traumatic year. It’s a new beginning for Joe who has started his new life as openly gay. Onscreen text reveals that this is the Gay Pride Parade in London, on Saturday June 29th 1985. A downward pan sees Joe entering the Gay is the Word Bookshop, where once again the London gay community are preparing banners for a parade. The debate over the wording on the banner reveals that this community, like the miners, also struggles with the perceived oppressiveness of Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government. The group’s work is interrupted by an announcement on a megaphone saying ‘that there are known homosexualists and a confirmed lesbo inside’. The group seem understandably anxious, considering the prejudice surrounding them and Gethin’s recent assault, and are surprised to find the voice belongs to Mark who has returned. Mark seeks out Mike to apologise and asks for forgiveness, still using the megaphone.

Once inside, Mark throws a package to Joe wishing him a happy birthday. The badge says ‘21 today’ with a hand-drawn ‘legal’ to denote Joe’s new status within the law. The badge is the third that Joe will display: the first one being his original birthday, the second that he would be discreetly gay, and the third, that his identity is now legal confirmed. Joe appreciates the gesture but reminds them that his name is ‘Joe’. In goodhearted manner, the group disregards this and once again chants ‘Bromley, Bromley’ showing that Joe’s identity is something he will need to continue to fight for.

Extreme wide shot reveals thousands gathered in a park preparing for a march. The multitude of people reminds viewers that despite the small LGSM group, which has been a focus of the film, they represent a much larger community. Sunshine and rousing music give a positive feel as the LGSM group move through the crowd carrying their banners, including one referencing the miners. On duty police officers do not miss the opportunity to mock them, laughing and saying that the miner’s lost. There is debate as to whether the mining banners can be shown as the march organisers are trying to distance themselves from political references. The LGSM are informed that they will need to walk at the rear of the march with the ‘fringe groups’ if they wish to display mining slogans. There is infighting and bickering between the Lesbians Against Pit Closures and the LGSM group.

The standoff is interrupted as a honking van tears across the grassland. It is the group from the Dulais Valley. Cliff is the first to emerge from the van and is embraced by the group, followed by Dai and the others. Gwen emerges from the rear of the van, asking ‘where are my lesbians’; the possessive phrase denotes her maternalistic adoption of the girls. Her gift of vegan snacks shows that she has listened to the girls and is mindful of their preferences.

The march organiser now informs the LGSM group that they will have to march at the front because there are too many of them. The group seem perplexed. Dai sports a ‘Pits and Perverts’ t-shirt from the benefit concert and several badges supporting gay rights, revealing that it is not just the committee who have arrived to support the march. A slow pan reveals several coach loads of miners with supportive banners arriving. A close up of Gethin’s face shows that the alliance between the gays and the miners has been an overwhelming success; two parts of his own life with which he had struggled have now been reconciled. This is quickly juxtaposed with a shot of the police mobilising, putting on their helmets and preparing for confrontation.

True to Dai’s analogy of the miner’s banner, with two hands joining in solidarity, the miners have arrived and a man conducts a roll call of all the lodge names. As the Dulais Valley lodge is called, among those exiting the bus is Maureen’s son, Johnny, who shakes hands with members of the gay community showing that, despite his family’s position, he has followed the example set by the openminded members of the committee. A TV reporter suggests to Cliff that it must have been weird to have been supported by gays and lesbians, revealing her belief of the generalised understanding. Cliff’s return question as to why they should have found that weird highlights that the reporter’s question reveals her own bias.

The music escalates as Mark leads his group to the front of the march. A line of photographers flanked by police look on. In contrast to his first march, Joe is now front and centre, proudly holding a banner. Mike jokingly reminds him of their first meeting when Joe said he wished not to be too visible. As the march proceeds down iconic London street, onscreen text explains the historic nature of the event. The lyrics declare that ‘there is power in a union’.

Final on-screen text:

‘On June 29th 1985, London’s Gay Pride March was led by Welsh miners in a show in a show of solidarity for LGSM’s support during the miner’s strike.’

‘Sian James enrolled at Swansea University and graduated with a degree from the Welsh language department. In 2005 she was elected member of parliament for Swansea East. The first woman ever to serve that constituency.’

‘Jonathan Blake was one of the first people to be diagnosed HIV positive in the UK. He recently celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday.’

‘Mark Ashton continued to fight for political and civil rights causes. He died on February 11th 1987, just days after his diagnosis with HIV Aids. He was 26.’

‘A year after the strike ended, a motion was tabled at the Labour Party conference to enshrine gay and lesbian rights into the party’s manifesto. Although the motion had been raised before, this time it was passed. This was due, in part, to a block vote of total approval from one key union, the National Union of Mineworkers.’

The film’s concluding scene is of the banner from the Dulais Valley miners showing two extended hands in solidarity.

Scene 19 Quotes

‘There’s got to be some kind of compromise.’
‘Why?’
‘Because that’s the way you get things done.’ (Lesbians Against Pit Closures members to Steph) Scene 19

‘Where are my lesbians?’ (Gwen as she arrives at the parade) Scene 19

‘You must have found it a bit weird. A load of gays and lesbians descending on you like that?’
‘Why on earth would we have found that weird?’ (TV reporter questioning Cliff at the parade) Scene 19