Join us on Tuesday 13th October at 1800-2100 for an online launch event of Dan Glass' new book "United Queerdom: From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow"
Dan's book examines over five decades of LGBT+ culture and protest from the GLF to the 2020s, uncovering both the back-breaking hard work as well as the glamorous, raucous stories of those who rebelled against injustice and became founders in the story of queer liberation.
For this event, Dan will host a panel discussion featuring a number of path-breaking activists and trouble makers including Mazharul Islam, Andria E-M and Ewa Jasiewicz.
Tickets are *free*, however attendees are encouraged to make a donation to Stop Bzdorum, a radical, feminist and queer collective fighting back against the Polish state's assault on LGBTQ+ rights - Donate here!
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About the book:
Throughout the 1970s the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) initiated an anarchic campaign that permanently changed the face of Britain. Inspired by the Stonewall uprisings in the US, the GLF demanded a 'Absolute Freedom For All' worldwide. Yet half a century on, injustice is rife and LGBT+ inequality remains. Complete LGBT+ liberation means housing rights, universal healthcare, economic freedom and so much more. Although many people believe queers are now free and should behave, assimilate and become palatable – Dan Glass shows that the fight is far from over.
United Queerdom evocatively captures over five decades of LGBT+ culture and protest from the GLF to 2020s. Showing how central protest is to queer history and identity this book uncovers the back-breaking hard work as well as the glamorous and raucous stories of those who rebelled against injustice and became founders in the story of queer liberation.
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Speaker Bios:
Dan Glass is an award-winning activist, mentor, performer and writer. He uses music, performance and protest to catalyse love, soul, revolution and justice in communities confronting injustice. Dan is an educator from Training for Transformation (TfT).
Dan has been named one of Attitude Magazine’s campaigning role models for LGBT youth, GaydarRadio Heroes Awards for Gay Rights activism and a Guardian ‘UK youth climate leader’ for famously supergluing the Prime Minister. Dan was recently awarded the ‘activist of the year’ at the ‘Sexual Freedom Awards 2017’ for contributions to sex-positive, queer, healthcare and human rights movements for social justice.
Mazharul Islam
Maz is a tour guide of Queer Tours of London and also an active member of ACT UP London. In November 2016, he moved to London with the support of his present employer ACCA; The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (an amazing LGBT supportive organisation), where he is working as a business development manager. Maz is one of the winners of Attitude Pride Award 2018, having been nominated for this award after organising a protest in london in front of the bangladesh high commissioner. The protest asked for justice for Maz’s two LGBT activist friends who were brutally murdered in Bangladesh on April 25th, 2018. He is now an LGBT activist, dedicated to bringing positive change in the Bangladesh LGBT community and to London based Bangladeshi LGBT people. Contact Maz on mipintu80@gmail.com
Andria E-M
Andria began AIDS activism in 1988, when she helped set up mainliners, the UK’s first support group for HIV-affected drugs users. She then worked as THT’s drugs counselling officer for 3 years. It was during those years, that she was most involved with act.Up 1: when the onslaught of dying coworkers and friends was non-stop & relentless. Harm reduction, I.E. Access to clean needles, condoms and heroin substitutes is the best way to prevent hiv in injectors/slammers and she has literally gone all over the world promoting it, with her focus being the self-organisation of x/current injection drugs users, including in her msc dissertation (2004). When her life partner died from AIDS in 1995, she founded the John Mordaunt Trust, a peer support and advocacy project for daily drug users, to honour John’s memory. This became political rapidly leading her to drug policy reform internationally. Still in ACT UP she has been most active in highlighting HCV which numerically is more of a threat to idus. Andria also has a 10 yr old daughter milly, who keeps her on her toes more than even ACT UP can! Contact Andria on andriae4@gmail.com
Ewa Jasiewicz
Hi I’m Ewa and I’m Polish and an abolitionist, union organiser, writer and troublemaker. I’ve been involved in anticapitalist, antiwar, anti-racist, Palestine solidarity, environmental direct action and union movements for a long time! I’ve spent a couple of years on the ground living in Iraq and Palestine and contributing to anticolonial resistance there including organising the freedom flotillas to Gaza. I’m currently organising to get police out of schools in Greater Manchester. I love writing, wandering about alone and with mates, and recording Palestine solidarity BDS cover records. Contact Ewa on freelance@mailworks.org