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<\/a>As well as organised trips, in-house events and productions formed a very significant part of Tyneside CHE\u2019s activities too, from regular film nights and coffee mornings hosted in members\u2019 own homes, to an organised street theatre group which made regular performances on Newcastle\u2019s Northumberland Street. This production of Cinderfella<\/em> in December 1980 was Tyneside CHE\u2019s own take on a traditional festive pantomime.<\/p>\n\n\n Theatrical performances and arenas provided a relatively safe and creative space for LGBTQ+ individuals to express their identities, desires, and experiences. Tyneside CHE supported and hosted several touring productions of Gay Sweatshop<\/em>, a London-based theatre company and the first gay theatre company, which was formed to counteract prevailing misconceptions about homosexuals and promote awareness of sexual oppression experienced by the gay community. This ticket relates to a performance of the play Indiscreet <\/em>in Newcastle on 17 December 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n There were also touring productions of another gay theatre collective from London, Consenting Adults in Public<\/em>, founded by the British playwright, performer, director, and activist Eric<\/a>\u202fPresland.<\/p>\n\n\n Arts magazines played a crucial role in the early LGBTQ+ movement, by providing a space for expression, visibility, and community when mainstream media marginalized or ignored LGBTQ+ voices. \u00a0Newcastle\u2019s first gay arts magazine Slant<\/em> was published in February 1977 by Newcastle University\u2019s Gaysoc<\/em>, with assistance from the Student\u2019s Union. According to the Editorial in its first edition, it was formed \u201cto be a magazine of new writings with a gay orientation\u201d<\/em> and \u201cto provide a means by which gay writers and poets might speak out, from the heart of their gay sensibility to their heterosexual brothers and sisters\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n As Tyneside CHE arrived at its ten-year anniversary in 1982, celebrations included a barn dance featuring many traditional and well-known country dances and tunes, including Cumberland Square Eight, Lucky Seven, Winster Galop and the Blaydon Races, again demonstrating the continued importance of culture in unifying and strengthening the movement and its members, and of community gatherings that defied repression and laid the groundwork for LGBTQ+ visibility and activism.<\/p>\n\n\n Browse and search the Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality (Tyneside CHE) Archive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read our blog post on celebrating 50 years of Pride<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n See our Finding their Voices exhibition<\/a> which celebrates the many diverse voices present within our collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See our exhibition on The North\u2019s Forgotten Female Reformers<\/a> which examines the role of women in Tyneside CHE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) was formed in 1972 as a local branch of the national Campaign for Homosexual Equality. The Tyneside CHE Archive held in Special Collections and Archives at Newcastle University is one of the most … Continue reading <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>