Sharings from Andrew Lumsden, GLF activist and original Gay News editor in tribute to Eric Thompson (1934-2022)

This book memorialises a London which recent capitalism has destroyed. It's an activist psychogeography. Next time I'm in London, I want to do some queer touring with this book.' An essential and extensive guide through the spaces in London which have enabled change across the world… All told with the enthusiasm and wonder of one of the most passionate and creative queer activists in the UK, Dan Glass' There are remarkable books and then there is Queer Footprints . Highly informative, witty, candid and steeped in historical detail, Dan Glass serves as the bobbin in the weaving process of herstories, bringing you an immersive reading experience which makes necessary the act of radical love. This book will be used to celebrate and honour the forebears of queer movements whose lives have afforded much of the liberties enjoyed today, as well as reminding us that the fight against injustice is far from over. Whether you’re a Londoner, a visitor or someone who's never stepped foot in the city, Queer Footprints will enrich your knowledge of queer history ' I wanted to do Queer Footprints partly because the pandemic happened: we couldn’t do Queer Tours. I really wanted to challenge myself by writing it and expand Queer Tours into a written format. I was also aware that a lot of the people who I’m really inspired by are getting old and I wanted to record their stories. A truly rewarding read, full of insights and knowledge and intertwined with anecdotes from those who were there. The book is a goldmine for those interested in finding out about the queer history of the streets of London 'Dan Glass has several upcoming events as part of his book tour in London, Dublin, Berlin and Brussels. Find out more about how to attend through the Queer Footprints LinkTree . NOTCHES: (re)marks on the history of sexuality is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Q: What do you believe is the value of documenting and celebrating past struggles to movements now? Ntombi Nyathi, Strategic Networking and Resource Mobilisations Officer, Training for Transformation Q: Throughout the book you highlight solidarity between different movements and the intersectional nature of struggle, such as challenging racism faced by queer people of colour or the solidarity of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). How did these other struggles impact the movement for LGBTQIA+ equality?

Q: In the book’s introduction you stress the importance of movement, walking and taking up the space, of engaging with history rather than just reading about it. Is that something you want readers to take from the book? NOTCHES: This book engages with histories of sex and sexuality, but what other themes does it speak to? Radical and revolutionary… Queer Footprints will be used in the decades to come to guide queer youth and transform the conversation about trans issues. Dan Glass will lead you gasping for more, and by the end, you’ll be fighting for justice on the streets ' Specifically, I hope people will draw from the modes of expression that queer people have utilised to confront, respond and transform their situations living with rising LGBTQIA+ hate crime. The book records and disseminates artistic and activist processes to confront a variety of forms of institutionalised homophobia through workshops, performances, events, exhibitions, street interventions and community organising. It helps to build confidence, knowledge and skills to work with and challenge local and national governments to ensure social policies advantage the ongoing development of the LGBTQIA+ community.Offers a fascinating, lively and revealing look into the capital's queer past. Like the winding streets themselves, there is something surprising at every turn. This is a queer look at London with a Capital Q and is by turns intimate, gossipy, personal and political. Glass represents a vital link between the important activists who helped shape the world we live in and those who would shape the future and is a charming, knowledgeable and amenable tour guide.’ Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London’s Fierce History takes an innovative look at the English capital’s LGBTQ+ history and the hidden “nooks and crannies” that reveal our stories. Author and activist Dan Glass tells us what inspired him to write the book.

My friend Ntombi Nyathi, who is at the heart of the popular education Training for Transformation movement, really helped me frame the book and ask critical questions – How do we speak our truths? How do we build a movement? How do we meet our needs? How do we become fully visible? How do we become fully alive? How do we become fully awake? How do we honour our ancestors? How do they make us feel? What have they left us? And how do we become the people we’ve been waiting for? One thing I specifically tried to do in this book is to be optimistic. Angela Davis talks about optimism as a radical act: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” Also, Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of Hope says that we continually have to sculpt hope in our lives and our movements. Not in a false way of “let’s all link arms and give peace a chance.” No: we have to look at the structures in society and build structurally in response. That’s one thing which helped me strike [the balance]: movements which are hopeful, and which have created active change. An incredibly powerful exploration of a London that has been deliberately hidden, by one of the most courageous and insightful activists we have' It is helpful, however, to question everything if you think that an injustice to one is an injustice to all. As the late great popular educator Paulo Freire said, we must ‘read our own reality and write our own history’ to transform the world around us.

Stacey Clare, author of 'The Ethical Stripper: Sex, Work and Labour Rights in the Night-time Economy' My main epiphany throughout writing the book is that our community is incredible. We’ve got all the tools that we need. When it comes to international movements, it’s all about continuing to share the things that help us win, and it is about perseverance and seeing this in the long term. All the tyrannical homophobic legislation is inspired by each other, because of the British Empire, because of Section 28: the “gay propaganda” law in Russia, the Polish “LGBT-free Zones.” What’s going on in Uganda at the moment is practically a carbon copy of the Henry VIII’s Buggery Act in 1533. So just as they are inspired by each other, we have to be inspired by each other to help overturn [the legislation]. An informative guide which sparkles with humour … this comprehensive and well-researched book takes you on a journey around the famous and infamous places in the capital’ Ever wanted to learn more about the pulsing heart of queer London's Soho? Dan Glass, author of ‘Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London’s Fierce History', is here to guide you.