At 26 years old, Mark Ashton was diagnosed with HIV and died shortly afterwards. He was a leading figure in the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group during the 1984 miners' strike and this is the focus of our episode this week. As a political activist and campaigner he had such an impact that in 2018, 31 years after his passing, a garden in Paris was renamed to honour him, and a year earlier, on what would have been his 57th birthday, a blue plaque was hung above the bookshop where Mark and his friends met to organise political rallies.
Sources
Mark Ashton - Wikipedia)
Remembering Mark Ashton: A proud advocate of socialism and gay rights (epicchq.com))
Mark Ashton: The Life and Legacy of an LGBT Legend | LGBT Lawyers)
UK miners' strike (1984–85) - Wikipedia)
Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners (lgsm.org))
Pride (2014 film) - Wikipedia)
Further Information
LGSM - Who we are)
The Communards - For A Friend (Official Video) - YouTube)
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