Clapham Common
LGBT History
Parts of Clapham Common have been known for gay cruising for many years.
The then Welsh Secretary Ron Davies MP had a "moment of madness" in 1998:[1] he was robbed at knife-point on the Common and met some strangers to whom he gave a lift; they took his car, wallet and phone. Davies resigned, repeatedly denying the incident had anything to do with drugs or sex.[2] Newspapers have since reported that Mr Davies admits being bisexual and has "been successfully treated for a compulsion to seek out gay partners".[3]
The London Pride festival was held on Clapham Common in 1996 and 1997.
Jody Dobrowski was murdered in Clapham Common in 2005 in a homophobic attack. A similar murder on the Common was depicted in a TV film, Clapham Junction (2007) by Kevin Elyot.[4]
References
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/204691.stm "My moment of madness" BBC News, 31 October 1998
- ↑ Colin Brown Chief Political Correspondent "THE DAVIES AFFAIR: How much did Downing Street know about that night". The Independent, 6 November 1998. FindArticles.com. 14 July 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19981106/ai_n14190889
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/mar/10/uk.wales Patrick Wintour, "Ron Davies ends political career", The Guardian, 10 March 2003.
- ↑ http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2007/06/15/channel-4-drama-has-echoes-of-jodis-murder/ "Channel 4 drama has echoes of Jodi’s murder" Pink News 15 June 2007
