mark ashton mark ashton was a young irishman who was a gay rights activist and a founding member of...
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Mark Ashton
Mark Ashton was a young Irishman who was a gay rights activist and a founding member of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM). Some would say that he was the founding member of LGSM during the miners’ strike in the 1980s.
In 1987, at the age of just 26, his life was cut short by aids.
Siân JamesDuring the miners’ strike in 1984, Sian James helped to feed over 1,000 families a week from nine different centres. When the strike was over she decided to take her A-Levels, and after raising her two children she attended Swansea University studying for a degree in the Welsh Language.
After she graduated finally entered Parliament as Director of Welsh Women’s Aid. In 2004 she resigned from the role in Welsh Woman’s Aid to stand as Labour Party candidate in Swansea East. She was elected in May 2005, the first woman to represent Swansea East and one of only eight women MPs from Wales.
On 25 February 2014, she decided to announce that she was standing down at the 2015 UK General Election and on 26 September she was one of 25 Labour MPs who broke party discipline to vote against renewed air strikes in Iraq.
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson was the co-founder of LGSM. He was the secretary within the group.
Jonathan Blake
Jonathan Blake was diagnosed with HIV when he was 33. He is of the first people in the UK to be diagnosed with the virus and he later got involved with the campaign group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM).
Jonathan is still alive today and is 66 years old.