Queering of Military Statues Demo at the Ministry of Defence
digital file Colour Sound 1992 14:19
Summary: A colour video of a 1992 Outrage protest march against the ban on lesbians and gays in the military, featuring a speech by Peter Tatchell highlighting the queer history of military statues.
Title number: 23068
LSA ID: LSA/30340
Description: We see a speech by a student about homophobia in the military This then cuts to a south asian man with a placard that states “Fought for my country, f*cked by the law” and this cuts to a shot of a slow zoom into the queen's guard on a horse. The subsequent shots are a zoomed in shot as the person walks, very shaky and hard to locate, a person off camera complains they are “f*cking freezing.” Cut to a static shot of a military statue with police patrolling, this then cuts to a south asian man wearing a feather boa and holding a placard. This then cuts to speeches by Peter Tatchell, Beth Lane and Phil Collins, they speak of the history of gays in the milatary, there personal experiences of working in the military and homphobic persecution. The camera cuts to a wide shot of activists raising a speech bubble that reads “Can Kill. Can’t love a man,” towards a military male statue. The footage then cuts to the camera filming the floor as the filmmaker walks through the crowd, members can be heard joking “I think we should out John Major” and “I’ve seen him down the Coleherne.” Tatchell is heard directing the crowd for the rest of the march. We cut to three men in military attire, stood in front of a statue, one man holds a green wreath with a pink triangle in the centre and another man holds up a placard that states “for queens and country”, the crowd claps and blows on whistles. The final shot is lesbians and gay men posing in a salute with their placards as a flash of cameras is heard.
Credits: Mark Harriot (Filmmaker)
Keywords: military; Protest; LGBT
Locations: Central London
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