Lambeth has long been the home to radicals, reformers, and innovators – people who changed history by campaigning, protesting, making things better in the lives of other people.
Following Pride Month, we ‘re sharing the stories of people from the LGBTQ+ community who have been – and still are – active in helping to make Lambeth a borough of equity and justice.
Connecting people
Clare Truscott was part of the Pride organising committee 1988-1991 and still works to improve things for LGBTQ+ people as co-founder with Ted Brown of “Not Going Back into the Care Closet” – working to protect older people’s right to be open about their loves and relationships in care and in sheltered housing.
Visibility and acceptance
“In the 90s Clause 28 felt like a crackdown just as Queer people started feeling visible and accepted. I wanted to make links and Pride was the one day of the year that brought everyone together. Everyone appeared in Kennington Park for free and Paul O’Grady compered as Lily Savage.
“The idea behind Pride was that if people knew Queer people were just like them, they’d understand our suffering. Many people still believe sexuality is a sin – and if those people are your carers or nurses you’re in danger.
Answering the real question
“I met Ted Brown at the Brixton Umbrella Circle – a peer support group for over 50s. When people hear about what happened to his partner Noel in a care home, everyone says ‘It should never have happened.’ But it did, the real question is how can we stop it?
Campaigning for care
“We’re trying to influence carers, people like the council who commission care, and just everyone. Watch the free Channel 4 documentary ‘Ted and Noel’. It’s not just for our generation to campaign for this – one day, you might grow old.”
