Pride -2014- |link| -
One of the film’s most devastating scenes involves a young closeted miner, Joe (George MacKay), who is torn between his father’s legacy and his own identity. When Joe is outed, the community faces a choice: Do they reject him because he is gay, or do they protect him because he is one of them? The miners choose the latter. It is a cathartic moment that feels less like a fantasy and more like a roadmap for empathy.
The film’s climax—the 1985 Lesbian and Gay Pride march in London—is spine-tingling. The miners, having lost the strike, refuse to let the LGSM walk alone. They show up with their union banners, forming a protective wedge around the queer marchers. They chant: “We are the miners, the lesbians, and the gays / We are together in so many ways.” pride -2014-
Why write about Pride (2014) now? Because the lessons are more urgent than ever. In an age of algorithmic division, where social media tells us to hate the "other" political tribe, the film argues for uncomfortable, messy, inter-community organizing. One of the film’s most devastating scenes involves
Pride -2014- was also defined by the international stage. In February, the world turned its eyes to Sochi, Russia, for the Winter Olympics. However, the games were overshadowed by Russia’s "anti-gay propaganda law," passed in 2013, which effectively criminalized the support or promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships" to minors. It is a cathartic moment that feels less
If you have not seen , you can find it streaming on platforms like Hulu, Amazon Prime (rental), or Criterion Channel depending on your region. It is a film that rewards repeat viewings. You will cry when Imelda Staunton announces the donation at the community hall. You will cheer when the miners march at Pride. You will laugh when the teenagers ask, “Are you a real lesbian?”
(2014), directed by Matthew Warchus and written by Stephen Beresford, is a historical comedy-drama that depicts the unlikely alliance between London-based LGBTQ+ activists and a small Welsh mining community. Set against the backdrop of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, the film explores how two marginalized groups, both targets of state and media hostility, found common ground through shared struggle. 2. Historical Context: The 1984–85 Miners' Strike The Conflict:
Simultaneously, the LGBTQ+ community was reeling from the AIDS crisis and rampant homophobia. Section 28—the legislation banning the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities—was looming on the horizon (passed in 1988). There was no legal protection for queer people. The police regularly raided gay bookstores and bars. To be "out" in a mining town in 1984 was to invite physical violence.