Pride

News of the Welsh miners' strike reveals to Mark Ashton that police harassment of the gay community had shifted toward miners. He spontaneously organizes a bucket collection for the miners during London's Gay Pride Parade, turning a celebration into a fundraiser. This impulsive act marks the birth of a broader activist movement.

Mark Ashton forms Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. Its first members include Joe Cooper, a 20-year-old closeted student, and an older couple, Jonathan Blake and Gethin, whose bookshop becomes a base for organizing. Gay's the Word, in London, serves as the group’s informal headquarters and meeting place.

LGSM faces homophobia from parts of the mining community and anger from gay people who have suffered mistreatment by miners. The groups struggle to align two worlds that have learned to distrust each other. The tensions set up the test that will define the alliance.

Deciding to bypass slow channels, LGSM plans to bring donations directly to Onllwyn, a small mining village in Wales. Dai Donovan, a miners’ spokesperson, travels to London and expresses gratitude in a short, moving speech at a gay bar, signaling broad support for the partnership. The move electrifies both communities.

In Onllwyn, the Women’s Support group, led by Hefina Headon and Maureen Barry, debates whether to invite LGSM to the village as a thank you. Hefina and her supporters favor gratitude from all camps, while Maureen's camp resents outsiders. Siân James speaks up passionately for inviting LGSM and is invited to join the village committee.

LGSM arrives in Onllwyn to a chilly reception from some villagers. Mark Ashton’s speech to the village triggers a walkout led by Maureen, highlighting the initial resistance. Yet the seed of partnership has been planted.

The next day, Jonathan Blake shares the miners’ knowledge of harassment laws and abuse of police power. Siân James takes immediate action, marching from the village to the police station to demand the release of illegally detained miners. The protest demonstrates the new alliance's willingness to defend the miners’ rights.

Gradually, grateful miners acknowledge LGSM’s role in securing their comrades' release. The two communities begin to thaw as mutual respect grows and common goals emerge. The partnership strengthens as coal miners and gay activists learn to trust one another.

Maureen contacts a tabloid to publicize the situation in Onllwyn, turning the story into a source of embarrassment for the National Union of Miners. The resulting press puts pressure on the NUM to decide whether to accept LGSM’s support. The controversy crystallizes the public stakes of the alliance.

Mark organizes a large fundraiser, the 'Pits and Perverts' festival, at the Electric Ballroom in London. Bronski Beat headlines the show, with Dai, Hefina, and several village women in attendance, boosting morale and funds for Onllwyn. The event marks a turning point despite personal anxieties about AIDS haunting Mark.

Three hours after the show, the NUM’s vote moves forward without notice, and Maureen’s camp succeeds in voting to refuse further help from LGSM. The surprise timing isolates LGSM from the miners’ union today. The setback forces the group to reassess its strategy.

Mark becomes disillusioned and abandons LGSM. Gethin campaigns alone and is violently assaulted, ending up in hospital. The violence underscores the real costs of the alliance.

In March 1985 the Miners’ Strike ends and the Onllwyn miners return to work. Joe sees the news and travels to Onllwyn to show solidarity, confronting Mark about hiding his activism and sexuality from his parents. Siân drives Joe in the LGSM-donated van to London, and learns of Gethin's condition.

On the day of the 1985 Gay Pride Parade, Mark returns, apologises for abandoning the cause, and leads LGSM to the parade. Hundreds of miners join the march, symbolizing a powerful alliance in action. The crowds celebrate the unlikely bond between a town and a movement.

The Labour Party incorporates gay and lesbian rights into its programme, thanks in part to a massive vote lodged by the National Union of Miners. Siân is elected to Parliament, and Jonathan remains alive despite early HIV diagnosis. Mark Ashton dies of AIDS two years later, at the age of 26.