Smash the Backlash was a demonstration held on 2 May 1987 which saw 3,500 people march through Haringey in North London to protest against racism and anti-gay bigotry. The march was one of the first UK demos to specifically highlight the experiences of the Black LGBT+ community. LSE Library’s Emma Pizarro shares the story behind the protest using material from the Hall-Carpenter Archives at LSE.
The organisers of Smash the Backlash sought to mobilise support for lesbian and gay rights and called for solidarity with the struggles of other minoritised people facing discrimination. They produced leaflets to advertise – and explain the reason for – the demonstration.
Smash the Backlash was led by two local community groups, Haringey Black Action and Positive Images. They joined together to organise the protest, with support from Haringey Council’s Lesbian and Gay Unit.
Haringey Council’s Lesbian and Gay Unit had been set up in 1986, the year before the Smash the Backlash demonstration. The Labour council in Haringey had made a manifesto commitment to provide equal opportunities for LGBT+ people and Council leader Bernie Grant pledged “to give lesbians and gay men a voice like everyone else”. Consultations with the LGBT+ community were held and following continued lobbying from local campaigners, the Council opened its Lesbian and Gay Unit – the first of its kind in the country. A number of staff working in the Unit were also involved with the pioneering Black Lesbian and Gay Centre project.
In a wider climate of homophobia and anti-AIDS prejudice, the Haringey Council Lesbian and Gay Unit aimed to address institutionalised discrimination against LGBT+ people. They established sub-groups in order to give emphasis to the most disadvantaged within the community and to ensure the involvement of those frequently excluded from decision making, particularly Black and minority ethnic lesbians and gay men, those unemployed or with disabilities.
Haringey Council aimed to implement more inclusive polices, such as representing positive images of LGBT+ lives in education. However their efforts were met with resistance from some groups in the borough, including the Tottenham Conservative Association and the newly formed Parents’ Rights Group, who criticised the proposals as a waste of money. These groups also framed the promotion of gay equality in schools as a threat to the stability of the heterosexual family unit. This selection of leaflets from LSE Library archives show the mounting tensions in Haringey, and the national media coverage it received.
The Positive Images group was launched by members of the Haringey community to counter negative views about LGBT+ people and show support for progressive policies. In a press release issued to explain their grass-roots campaign to challenge heterosexism, Positive Images stated that “Lesbianism and gayness is a positive expression of sexuality and lifestyle, not a perversion or illness.”
The local row caught media attention and Haringey Council’s plan for increased LGBT+ representation in education was raised as a question in the House of Lords in July 1986. Those supporting the Council’s proposals felt that unfounded panic and outrage was fuelled by inaccurate reporting, contributing to a national backlash against lesbians and gays.
The Haringey Black Action group had been campaigning in Black communities for LGBT+ rights. They spoke out against efforts by conservative and religious groups to divide the Black community over homosexuality and accused some Black organisations of using the issue to create fear and confusion, rather than coming up with real ways to fight racism.
Following months of growing tensions in Haringey, Haringey Black Action began planning the Smash the Backlash demo in conjunction with Positive Images. Haringey Black Action also encouraged the involvement of other local organisers and groups in the protest, such as the Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign. Smash the Backlash was one of the first UK demonstrations to specifically highlight the experiences of the Black LGBT+ community.
Over 3,500 joined the Smash the Backlash demonstration on 2 May 1987, marching through Haringey to protest against racism and anti-gay bigotry. Today the Smash the Backlash protest is commemorated with a plaque and rainbow crossing in Haringey, placed along the route which the march took from Turnpike Lane to Bruce Castle Park.
This material is drawn from various ephemera collections within the Hall-Carpenter Archives, which are open to all. Come and be inspired!
Find out more about:
- Our LGBT collections
- The Hall-Carpenter Archives
- Haringey Vanguard project archive at Bruce Castle Museum and Archive
