Andover
LGBT history
There was an Andover CHE group in the 1970s.
In 1974 the Andover Advertiser called homosexuals sick and refused to allow any adverts for counselling or befriending services for gays [1].
In 1976 Gay News reported that an Andover Doctor had been convicted on three charges of gross indecency, one involving a 15-year old boy [2].
There was a Gay Andover Project Youth Group in 2014.
In 2021 Rev Andy Fitchet was featured in a BBC article entitled: 'Gay minister: I was asked to leave my church when I came out'. Fitchet left the Baptist Church and started preaching at the Methodist Church after he came out as gay [3]. Fitchet stood as the Labour Party candidate in the North West Hampshire Constituency in 2017 and 2024.
In June 2024 Andover held its first Pride event with a grant from the Town Council.
References
- ↑ A Queer A-Z of Hampshire by Clifford Williams (2024:Andover)
- ↑ Gay News issue 101 p 9 26 August 1976
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-59057419
