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It became apparent to some lesbian & gay persons that aspects of Cornwall's LGBT social, gay health, equality & campaigning history were being re-written. Certain inconvenient truths about Cornish LGBT life of the late C20th & early C21st were being airbrushed out & erased entirely by those now in control & running the 'official'? recording of Cornwall's LGBT history. 'One Queer Gay Life' is a referenced record drawn from the Sprocket Trust small archive (press cuttings, documents, letters, photos, publications, etc.) of aspects of LGBT life in Cornwall others might prefer you simply did not know.

Sunday 12 April 2015

1991-1995 ICT LGBT newsletter for Cornwall

1991- 1995 Independent Cornish Triangle

LGBT newsletter for Cornwall

Front cover of 1990's ICT LGBT Cornwall newsletter

1991:  Beginning of Independent Cornish Triangle LGBT newsletter for Cornwall.

Concerned at a lack of information for LGBT persons in Cornwall Malcolm Lidbury founded, published, & edited the ‘Independent Cornish Triangle’ with the help of a small team of volunteer contributors 1992-1995.   The Cornish gay newsletter was initially funded from Lidbury's dole money.
 
Originally just as a leaflet, by 1995 the ICT local LGBT monthly newsletter had become a 20 page monthly publication . Primarily aimed at Cornwall, UK with both male & female readership.  It reached over 1,000 reader/subscribers.
 
GAY MURDERS:
1993 following a spate of murders of gay men in London by Colin Ireland Lidbury approached Devon & Cornwall police to attempt liaise with the LGBT community via the ICT newsletter.  A meeting held between Lidbury & a police inspector & another police officer at Camborne police station.  Lidbury was told in no uncertain terms police did not liaise or co-operate with gay male perverts that had sex in public toilets. Lidbury as a gay man, had chosen when he came ‘out’ in 1989 not to ‘cottage’
 
Lidbury knew many gay/bisexual men who also chose not to ‘cottage’, but equally he knew other gay/bi friends who did & the reasons they gave why.  This coupled with the fact that readership subscription of the LGBT ICT newsletter was 41% women, the meeting with the homophobic Devon & Cornwall police to liaise with the Cornwall LGBT community over gay murders went nowhere.
 
Nov 1995 horrific murder & attack upon gay men in Plymouth. Although police in Plymouth appeared to work with local LGBT population in Plymouth regarding the murder of Terrence Sweet & assault on another, it was a very different story just over the Tamar into Cornwall.
 
Lidbury had again contacted Devon & Cornwall police to liaise with the Cornwall LGBT community via the ICT newsletter regarding the Plymouth Park murder & assault, as many LGBT persons from Cornwall travelled to the Plymouth gay scene. Police stated they were NOT interested in collaborating with gay people in Cornwall.
 
NB: At request & referral from City Hospital GU Clinic Lidbury officiated & conducted a number of gay men’s funerals, primarily those who had died as a result of HIV/AIDS.
 
Sept 95 West Briton Article   '24 Men die of AIDS in Cornwall'
 
However one funeral Lidbury conducted was for a gay man from St. Column in Cornwall, who had died following a serious homophobic assault.  Police handling of the murder/manslaughter/assault was abysmal according to ‘Nigel’, the deceased gay man’s surviving partner.
 
The ICT was one of the few LGBT publications produced in the 1990’s in the UK run outside of London or a major city.  Jan 1994 Western Morning News item :- The ICT became a focal point for local campaigning on gay equality issues. 
 
Photo: Lidbury & Michael Cashman Chair of Stonewall promoting ICT at London PRIDE 1993:-
 
 
 
 
May 1994: Continuum Magazine & Pink Paper article by Lidbury on Gay Cornwall
 
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