The 1981 gay pride march in Huddersfield - Morrissey spotted in photos?

If you ask me, that's him, no doubt.



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Link to article:



Also:

What do we think about him? Spotted in another picture from the article.

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The fact that there aren't any rainbow flags, music or semi clad bodies simply shows how repressed gays were in 1981.This was during the time of a Tory Government that later introduced Clause 28 which said local councils should not spend money on anything to intentionally promote homosexuality, or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality. They should also not promote the teaching in any maintained school, of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.
In the 80s and early 90s the age of consent was 21 for gays. This created problems when the age for pub drinking was only 18. There'd be frequent police raids in gay bars and you'd be asked who you were planning on meeting and what your intentions were. The police found it all highly hilarious and often made derogatory comments. Thankfully they're the complete opposite now. There were also undercover police operating too. The age of consent was reduced to 18 in 1994 and then finally to 16 in 2000.
One of my older friends in the 90s had been sacked from Debenhams in the 60s simply because it was found out that he was living with another man.
Then of course, added to this, you had the emergence of AIDS which was untreatable at the time and called the 'gay plague' and 'God's revenge'
No wonder gay marches were so glum at the time! I miss the cameraderie that I found in the late 80s and 90s though, and our exclusive bars.

I think people forget how much censorship & hatred gay people used to face - Moz probably thought he'd never be free to write what he wanted & would have to channel it all into Pat Phoenix & Viv Nicolson or get slaughtered.
 
Yes, I’m trying to understand the point of all this. It’s not surprising. Is it?
Of course it's not surprising. To imply that certainly wasn't the intention of my original post (which started out in the "strange/unexpected references" thread, despite being neither "strange" nor "unexpected", but alas...).
I just wanted to know if people on here agree it's him or not and any previously unseen picture of him is news on this site (and rightly so if you ask me), especially when it appears in a context that is historically relevant, like the first gay pride march to take place outside of London.

But naturally, there's always people who get their knickers in a twist about it when his sexuality is pointed out. Although Morrissey never made a secret out of it, as has been mentioned several times throughout this thread. It's always the same figures who seem to be slightly disconnected to reality...
 
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Has his world caved in, as well as for all the usual ones at this recently unearthed revelation from Morrissey's pre-Smiths life? I watched 'England Is Mine' and was surprised by how straight - sexuality-wise - he was played throughout. No one would've been offended. Other than those who'd found him "too fey" (gay) for their leanings 20-30-odd years ago, if they're truly honest with themselves.

I have no idea if this is true, but someone mentioned on here before that the producers of "England is Mine" were told no gay relationships or references could be shown, unless they wanted to face legal action.
 
Maker would have been living in London at the time, no?

He went to many concerts by himself, Rogan mentions him attending a "Ban The Jubilee" demonstration and pro-abortion marches in The Severed Alliance.

To me it wasn't very surprising that he seems to be on his own here.
And as mentioned in another comment, there's many friends or acquaintances from that time who we don't know about or don't know what they looked like because they didn't end up becoming famous.

I thought maybe he never went on demos - but maybe being famous made him feel too self-conscious.

One bit of gossip I got from a gay playwright who used to work in music & knew Moz a bit was that the Red Wedge & Rock Against Racism in the 80s had a lot of (possibly unwitting) homophobia & they** felt there was no one to complain to - because the press & the right were even worse.

**him & unspecified others.
 
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I have no idea if this is true, but someone mentioned on here before that the producers of "England is Mine" were told no gay relationships or references could be shown, unless they wanted to face legal action.
Really? Gosh, I'm truly surprised by that if it's true!
 
It just goes to demonstrate the transformative powers of a good haircut.
It's very difficult to imagine that haircut becoming the magnificent quiff? That said when I was 18 I had a blond streaked mullet that became a flatop overnight when my inner pyschobilly suddenly burst free.
 
I have no idea if this is true, but someone mentioned on here before that the producers of "England is Mine" were told no gay relationships or references could be shown, unless they wanted to face legal action.

I think he tried to block the project & when that failed he just slammed the whole thing.

Bowie refused to let Velvet Goldmine use his music because it was implying he was gay - so maybe people are thinking about that.
 
I've just got the EiM film...started watching last night but not finished it yet. Oddball.
 
I thought maybe he never went on demos - but maybe being famous made him feel too self-conscious.
The Severed Alliance talks quite a bit about his life pre-fame and mentions some of his activities, it's an interesting read.
Many people have a bit of a twisted image about his pre-Smiths years. It is true that he went through phases of deep depression and wouldn't go out at all. But it's also true that he had friends and partook in different activities.
 
I've just got the EiM film...started watching last night but not finished it yet. Oddball.
It's so bleak, isn't it?
 
I have no idea if this is true, but someone mentioned on here before that the producers of "England is Mine" were told no gay relationships or references could be shown, unless they wanted to face legal action.

This is true. I was at a screening where the producer Orian Williams spoke. He said they absolutely could not depict that Morrissey as gay without fear of being sued. He also told a funny story about the movie being financed by a member of the Cure when he was on the outs with Robert Smith. Then trying to get his name off the film when they reconciled. But Roger O’Donnell is still listed as Executive Producer.
 
It's very revealing that the usuals who've been very vocal with their open homophobia on this site are so curiously quiet, all of a sudden. They only came on board when he became more open with his politics - not his sexuality. This says more than a lot about them and how they see themselves on the shy.
 
I've just started watching it, but yeah, a 'bleak' representation thus far. Obviously from there, to where he is now, has been a remarkable personal journey.
Yeah, that's certainly true but the film is also a wildly inaccurate portrayal of his pre-Smiths life as it has been described in various well researched publications.
 
This is true. I was at a screening where the producer Orian Williams spoke. He said they absolutely could not depict that Morrissey as gay without fear of being sued. He also told a funny story about the movie being financed by a member of the Cure when he was on the outs with Robert Smith. Then trying to get his name off the film when they reconciled. But Roger O’Donnell is still listed as Executive Producer.

I think he was joking - because there's a ton of stuff you could submit in evidence from Moz's interviews.
 
It certainly is. But it's a most curious film in plenty of ways.
It's nice to look at for sure. The set design, scenery and costumes were good.
 
Yeah, that's certainly true but the film is also a wildly inaccurate portrayal of his pre-Smiths life as it has been described in various well researched publications.
I got it simply out of fan interest, & possibly/hopefully to add to the knowledge bank. Not read all the books so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out against what I've read.
 

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