Badges

The three badges given to Joe represent his journey over the course of the year between his 20th and 21st birthday. The first badge was given to him by his mother, a simple ‘happy 20th birthday’. A reminder of his place in a legal system, when Steph sees the badge she instructs Joe about the age of consent disparity. The second badge is a pink triangle, as used by the Nazi’s to denote homosexuals, and demonstrates the group’s behaviour of adopting hateful symbols and language in order to dispel the power they would otherwise hold. It also contains the words ‘I am (discreetly) gay’, emblematising Joe’s position between two worlds. Ironically, he is wearing a badge denoting his discretion; he is both public and secretive about his lifestyle. Finally, by way of apology, Mark presents him with a third badge, ‘happy birthday’ with a handwritten word ‘legal’ inserted. The need to insert the word shows the community’s inequality, but the birthday itself grants Joe legal status as a gay ‘adult’ in some sense, signifying his maturity and the completion of his coming out.

Mark brandishes badges that are reminiscent of a military nature. This solidifies his position as the group’s leader, and lends a revolutionary-style tone to the battle for rights the groups are undertaking. Dai is seen with badges supporting the gay community when he fulfills his promise to join with them in their fight for rights in London.

Banner

The Dulais Valley miners’ banner is first mentioned by Dai when touring the castle near Onllwyn. He explains to Mark that the banner may be over 100 years old and depicts two hands grasping each other. Dai’s interpretation is that it shows solidarity, friendship and reciprocal service. That while the miners are struggling, the LGSM group has come to their aid and, in turn, when the gay community is fighting, the miners will come to their aid. True to his word, buses full of miners arrive at the parade in London, and carried among them, in the closing moments of the film, the banner in seen.

Bus

The two groups are reliant on small van-style buses. The LGSM group arrive in Dulais in a colourful bus declaring that they are ‘out and loud’. The bus itself is covered in revolutionary-style posters and various stickers showing the ongoing struggles of the community and their similarity to revolutions. The contrast of the bus with the bleak exterior of the building in Ollwyn is a reminder of the seemingly different lifestyles. The miners also have a bus but it is, allegorically, out of commission, as it is in need of repair and the town cannot afford to replace it. It is replaced by the generous donations raised by LGSM. When the new bus is in service, the miners must swallow their pride and ride in the bus with the ‘donated by gay and lesbians’ paintwork on the exterior. It is this bus which delivers the committee to the pride match in reciprocity of the kindness of the LGSM.