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Memories by Steve Ball

Birmingham Pride Community Trust’s origins

“Birmingham Pride Community Trust grew out of the Birmingham Pride festival as a number of us were frustrated that the festival was somewhat losing its political edge and becoming something of a three day beer festival. What we wanted to do was recog...

Having a ball at the Pink Picnic - July 2007

Steve describes an event organised by Birmingham Pride Community Trust: “The Pink Picnic was in Cannon Hill Park in July 2007, more than 100 people met up, played cricket, had a picnic and enjoyed the sunshine. What was great about the Pink Picnic wa...

Queer Question Time - 29th April 2005

Steve said that the Birmingham Pride Community Trust (BPCT) also did a ‘Queer Question Time’ that was held in Birmingham Hippodrome in April 2005. Representatives from three main parties were invited, including MPs Claire Short and Andrew Mitchell. “...

Gay Life Matters Events September 2004

Steve, the Trust's Chair, said that Birmingham Pride Community Trust (BPCT) had also organised the ‘Gay Life Matters’ project which was a series of events to discuss issues covering health, housing, family and community and the future of the gay vill...

Are you being served? May 2005

“The Birmingham Pride Community Trust (BPCT) was also involved in setting up a consultation exercise in May 2005– ‘Are you being served?’. We got forty people from amongst the community to discuss the provision of services and how their needs are bei...

Homophobia from colleagues

Steve said “Even in the late seventies, if you were going into teaching, you kept your sexuality quiet…things have changed now…gay teachers are not victimised…not bullied. It was in my interests to keep my sexuality quiet.”“… (In the 70s) there were,...

Gay scene in the eraly 90s

Talking about Birmingham over the years, Steve says; “Over the past twenty years, the commercial gay scene in Birmingham has expanded from a couple of pubs…there used to be The Village, The Jester and The Nightingale on Thorp Street…… there was a fai...

The Water Garden stank

Steve remembers The Jug during the late 1980s. This was a club that was located in the same building that Subway City is now, on Livery Street. Two older gay men, Laurie Williams and his partner Lionel ran it and also lived above the club with their ...

No women in the Gale

The Jug’s main competitor in 1986 when Steve came to Birmingham was the Nightingale, then in Thorp Street. He recalls that there were two dance floors on one level and it was about half the size of the current club. Male strippers formed a regular pa...