Lesbians Against Pit Closures (LAPC) were an alliance of lesbian women who came together to support the National Union of Mineworkers and various mining communities during the UK miners strike of 1984–1985. They were formed after a schism in the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) movement, in November 1984. Members of the organization were involved in picket line protests against the delivery of coal to the factories by strikebreakers.
Contents
History
LAPC originated when a number of LGSM members decided they needed a women-only space for lesbians, due to issues concerning sexism, misogyny and lesbophobia among males in the LGSM movement. Ray Goodspeed, an LGSM member, says that: "The men in the meetings were generally like men in most meetings," and according to founders of LAPC, when the issues of a lesbian-only organization were discussed in LGSM, "they [LGSM members] often snorted with derision". LAPC was also formed as a group to give women a voice, as with Women Against Pit Closures, to help bring feminist ideas into a working men's sphere, such as a Miners' institute. Some women said they were intimidated by the gay men who made up the bulk of LGSM membership.
The alliances which the campaign forged between LGBT and labour groups also proved to be an important turning point in the progression of LGBT issues in the United Kingdom. Miners' labour groups began to support and endorse and participate in various LGBT pride events throughout the UK; at the 1985 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, a resolution committing the party to support LGBT equality rights passed for the first time due to block voting support from the National Union of Mineworkers; and miners' groups were among the most outspoken allies of the LGBT community in the 1988 campaign against Section 28.
Activities and fundraising
LAPC used similar fundraising tactics to LGSM, such as collecting outside lesbian bars, clubs and other establishments. They also put on women-only benefit concerts and attempted to "involve other people in what [they were] doing," such as collecting outside supermarkets.
With LGSM, they were a part of a short promotional film about the two group's unified work during the Miners' Strike called All Out! Dancing in Dulais.
Depiction in Pride
The film Pride, which depicted the unity of LGSM and the Onllwyn mining community in Wales, also mentioned the LAPC splinter organization. Some have viewed their depiction in the film as "close to ridicule" and "unfair and unwarranted".