Marchers took to the streets of Highbury to celebrate the golden anniversary of the first gay rights demonstration in the UK. On Friday (December 4), the Gay Liberation Front reimagined the torchlight protest that took place 50 years ago after Louis Eaks of the Young Liberals was arrested in Highbury Fields.

Highbury Fields gay rights demo was a watershed moment’He was accused of “importuning for an immoral purpose” after approaching several men in a police entrapment operation - Mr Eakes claimed he was asking them for a light. The law was used almost exclusively against gay men, according to the Public Law Project.

About 150 people turned up to Highbury Fields in 1970 in solidarity with Mr Eakes. A statement on the Gay Liberation Front website says: “This was a commemoration of sexual freedom, in celebration of those who were there, and the next generation of young activists responding to the intersectional challenges faced by queer people today. LGBT+ hate crimes and injustice are on the rise all over the world, and we won’t stand for it.”

• Keywords
  LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+) Community, LGBTQ+ Campaigning and Politics
• Geographical keyword
  HIGHBURY FIELDS [Open Space]
• Persons keyword
  Gay Liberation Front, Louis Eakes