Timeline of LGBT+ History for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire
Women’s Groups
We would love to expand this post with contributions from women involved in setting up or using local women’s support groups. Please share your memories using use the form at the bottom of this page or contact us.
Introduction
Reproduced from an article about the history of the Women’s Group published in Pink Lobby Dec 1999
A Lesbian Support Group was founded by women through the North Staffs Gay Switchboard in 1981 and operated for nine years until 1990.
A few years later three women formed a gay womens group and for about 18 months they met at the Observatory Pub in the aptly named Dyke Street in Hanley. Members heard about the group via switchboard and the numbers grew. The group later moved to the Hollybush, then Godivas and from 1995 over twenty members regularly met at The Club in Hillcrest Street. By the late 1990s the group had moved to meeting at the Piccadilly Project and was part of a thriving inclusive community that included a womens football team, the Queer stuff drama group a walking group and the LGB forum.
In 2006 women volunteers established “The Pink Link” which continued to provide a women’s space with regular social meetings.
The following post explores a brief history of local women’s groups. If you can help us expand this history with first hand accounts and photographs please use the form at the bottom of this page or contact us.
1981 to 1990 – The Lesbian Support Group
The following article also appears in our post about the 1997 North Staffs Gay Switchboard where you can read a full history of the helpline’s thirty years of operation.
After the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1967, the word “gay” was openly adopted as a positive term for same-sex attraction and early activist movements such as the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) used “gay” to include both men and women. In practice, however, gay men dominated leadership, culture, and media attention. By the mid 1970s through to the 1980s many women shifted towards “lesbian” as their preferred identity and lesbian only groups, publications and spaces expanded across the UK.
Towards the end of 1980 Gay News began to separately list telephone support services for women, albeit not as prominently as the local listings for Gay Switchboards. By the following year this section of listings had grown and was given greater prominence. In June 1981 our local Switchboard began to separately advertise a Lesbian Support Group with the same contact telephone number.
This would have been around the time that Switchboard moved to the gay centre in Hillcrest Street. It is likely that services were able to expand and diversify as a result of that move both due to better facilities and more community volunteers.
Gay News 11th June 1981
Initially the times advertised to call were Wed and Sat at the same times advertised in the listings for the North Staffs Switchboard. Maybe both gay men and lesbians were on hand to take the calls on these advertised days. By 1983 the services had become more differentiated with the main switchboard operating Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and the Lesbian Support Group being available on the number on Fridays from 8pm-11pm. It can be assumed that if women rang the Switchboard on any of the days advertised for the Switchboard they would have received a helpful and supportive response but for those women that only wanted to talk to other women the Friday slot fulfilled that need.
It was later called “The Lesbian Line” and continued to operate on the Switchboard number on Friday evenings until 1990 when Switchboard rebranded as the the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard becoming a single inclusive helpline service again.
1992 – The Women’s Group
A womens group was formed again a few years later. This also grew from the efforts of women volunteers at the Lesbian and Gay switchboard.
Pink Lobby Jan 1999
Here is a transcription of the above article.
The Women’s Group is a small, friendly, informal group that meets every other Monday at the Piccadilly from 8.30pm; gay women of all ages are welcome.
We have worked in conjunction with switchboard, offering a befriending service for those who are just coming out. We can also offer a counselling service, although just talking and being with like minded people can be all the support you need.
It’s not all doom and gloom the group is a great way of socialising and making new friends. Many of us play women’s football, cycle with Lady Anne and have been known to join the LGB walkers for a quick amble!!
On Monday nights we chat over coffee and very often have theme nights such as quizzes, videos and board games. We also arrange trips and events such as meals out, cinema, theatre, bands, walks, whatever is suggested (well almost). It’s a fantastic way to extend your social network.
Alison – The Women’s Group
Pink Lobby Dec 1999
The following article, published in community newsletter “Pink Lobby” in 1999 gives us a fabulous history of this group. The author is not mentioned but is likely to have been Alison who wrote the piece above published in Pink Lobby earlier in the year. We should all be grateful that she took the trouble to record this history that might otherwise have remained hidden or been lost.
Pink Lobby Dec 1999
Here is a transcription of the above article from Pink Lobby, December 1999
So where did it all start?
About 7 years ago members of Switchboard recognised the need for a meeting place for women other than a club atmosphere. Three women formed the initial group in 1992. For about 18 months they used to meet at the Observatory Pub in the aptly named Dyke Street in Hanley. Members can remember the landlord having to run to the local off licence when he’d run out of beer (which was quite often) and well a Babycham does ruin a Dyke’s ‘street cred’!
Members heard about the group via switchboard and the numbers grew. Sadly one Halloween night they Were asked to leave the pub after a fake rubber bat went missing – they swear they didn’t take it!
Then Mates came to the rescue. As the group became more popular they moved to the-Hollybush in Northwood. Having gypsy blood and a chequered past they were on the move again to Godivas (which used to be the Observatory). At this stage a group of over 20 women were regularly meeting. When Godivas closed in ’95 and soon after Mates was reborn as ‘The Club’ the women began to meet there and on alternative weeks at the Queen & Crumpet.
The numbers began to grow and the group began to work again in conjunction with Switchboard offering a befriending service for those who were just coming out.
More recently
We were offered rooms at the Piccadilly Project and we now meet every other week socially, for a coffee and a chat. I think the best thing about the women’s group is that it’s a safe space for women to be themselves in a relaxed atmosphere.
We still work closely with Switchboard. We can also offer a counselling service although just being with like-minded people can be all the support you need. The group is a great way of socialising and making new friends. Many of us are also in the Women’s Football team, in Queerstuff, the LGB Forum and have been known to go for a tramp in the wood with the Walkers (there’s a joke in there somewhere!). It’s self run and its up to everyone to arrange whatever they want to do e.g. cinema, theatre trips or meals out.
It’s run by gay women for gay women and everyone is welcome to make a suggestion (keep it clean). It’s a great way to meet people in a friendly environment.
Why not give it a try
2006 – The Pink Link
Retrieved from the archived website of the LGBT Network
The Pink Link was established by women volunteers in 2006 as a social group for lesbian and bi-sexual women over the age of 18. The group could be contacted via the North Staffs Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, they also advertised a mobile number which was probably the personal number of a group member. The Pink Link had a website, which no longer operates but the following information has been retrieved from the internet archive
Information from the 2012 about us page on the website of Pink Link retrieved from the Internet Archive
Who we are…
A friendly, relaxed and confidential space. The Pink Link is a social group for lesbian and bi-sexual over the age of 18. Isolation can be a big problem, and for many women the group will offer a chance to widen their social network in a safe, friendly, relaxed and confidential space
What we do…
The Pink Link aims to provide an opportunity for women to meet, exchange ideas, organize and take part in a range of social activities or just to meet up and chat with like minded women. See past events
When we meet:
Meeting every 1st and 3rd Wednesday in the month
7.30 pm-9.30 pm
Can’t make Wednesdays, don’t worry lots of our social events take place at weekends so you can still be a part of the Pink Link. We send out regular emails, newsletters to let you know what’s happening.
2023 – Mentioned by B-arts Queer As Stoke
In 2023 B-arts Queer As Stoke described Pink Link as “A social group for lesbian and bisexual women over the age of 35, Pink Link aims to provide opportunities for women to meet, exchange ideas. organize and take part in a range of social activities. Activities have included walking groups, Easter egg competitions, days out and pool competitions at The Three Tuns, as well as regular quieter relaxed evening meet ups.
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Copyright Notice
Any news clippings featured here have been compiled by the posts author, Andrew Colclough, from various archives as part of his personal research into local LGBT+ history and are shared here on the basis of fair personal/non commercial use. Copyright, where applicable, belongs to the newspapers and magazines that published the articles. I believe that any photographs used in this post are in the public domain – I have acknowledged specific sources where possible but please contact us if there is anything here that needs further permission or acknowledgment. Text written by the post’s author is copyright of Andrew Colclough. Thank you!
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