Mr Loverman, a new BBC drama based on the book by Bernardine Evaristo, has brought to light the challenges faced by black gay men in the UK. The show depicts the life of Barrington Jedidiah Walker, who has a secret affair with his soulmate Morris. The programme depicts several brutal encounters with racism and homophobia, with one critic describing it as “magnificent TV that will tear your heart open.”
Theodore “Ted” Brown, an activist, organised the country’s first Gay Pride event in London in 1972, and was one of the few black people in attendance. He recalls that at the time, the UK was more concerned with racism than homophobia, but that he realised the similarities between the two. He went on to co-found an organisation named Black Lesbians and Gays Against Media Homophobia, that worked towards equality for the LGBT community in Britain. He has been campaigning for nearly 50 years.
In a recent interview about the show, Brown shared that he experienced physical violence only a handful of times despite decades of campaigning for LGBT rights. Although the UK has seen a fall in hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation to 22,839 in England and Wales, in his view Brown says that for young black men, the world feels isolating at times. He also acknowledges that there has been progress, there are now many black LGBT figures in the public eye, including British Vogue’s cover star Munroe Bergdorf and Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes.
Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, a human rights activist and CEO of UK Black Pride, argues that the cultural impact of homophobia is one of the many lasting legacies of the British Empire. She notes that the laws criminalising same-sex acts in her native Antigua had their roots in British colonial-era legislation forbidding “buggery” and “indecency.” Despite the challenges faced by black gay men in the UK, activists like Brown and others have worked tirelessly to make progress. It is thanks to their efforts that there has been significant progress on LGBT rights in the UK in recent years
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