Brighton Pride: Unseen images of 1973 gay march discovered

Newly-discovered photographs of Brighton's first Gay Pride march in 1973 are being shown for the first time at an exhibition.

The old negatives were found in a drawer of the Argus newspaper archives, after the outlet photographed the event but did not publish any images.

The march was a forerunner of Brighton Pride, the UK's biggest Pride festival.

An exhibition featuring the pictures is running throughout August at the Sussex Beacon in the city's Kemptown district.

Members of Gay Brighton Past, an online history group, discovered the images in the newspaper's offices.

Co-founder of the group, Alf Le Flohic, from The University of Brighton, said nobody knew the photos existed.

"These pictures are a missing part of Brighton's LGBT community history, so it was really important to give everyone the chance to see them," he said.

Mr Le Flohic linked up with former members of the Sussex Gay Liberation Front (SGLF) - who organised the march - as part of his research into the event.

Founder Simon Watney said: "The idea that one's 'Glad to be Gay' may sound terribly naive today, but it was the beginning of a whole notion that you could be lesbian or gay and not be ashamed.

"It gave people confidence. It was a kind of training ground for all the activism that led to the great law reforms of the 21st century."

Former SGLF spokesman Graham Phillips, who attended the march, said at the time that "many homosexuals in 'responsible jobs' steered clear of the demo" for fear of being identified and sacked.

However, despite the low turnout, other gay events at the time proved popular. The SGLF dance at the Royal Albion Hotel attracted 200 people.

The 30th anniversary of Pride celebrations, with Mariah Carey headlining, were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19.

Instead, smaller performances and pop-up cultural events are being held around the city.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].