The National Union of Mineworkers strike and gay rights

Background

PRIDE is inspired by an extraordinary true story.  It’s the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers’ families.  Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person.  As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all. Margaret Thatcher, 1983 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lesson plan

1. Before watching the movie research and write about the following topics: The Miner strike, Margaret Thatcher, and gay rights in the UK during the 1980s.
2. Watch the movie, if you are a student in Norway you can watch the movie here. NDLA
3. Read the article here. The Guardian.
4. After watching the movie write about the following topics;
   • how could the Gay Pride comrades support a group that answered by beating them up every day? The very people they are now asked to support. Despite hefty donations, many of the miners and their wives remain frostily hostile to the incomers amid growing anxieties about Aids.
   • How did the miners return the favor?
5. What role did Margaret Thatcher play in the miner strike and how long did it last?
6. Did you learn anything by watching this movie that you did not already know?
7. Norwegian study sheet Source: FilmWeb