The Log Books
Tash Walker and Adam Zmith host a weekly podcast exploring history, politics, art, and LGBTQ+ life. They interview exciting people doing amazing things and share stories from their own lives. The show won Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards 2020. It is an Aunt Nell Production.
Episodes
Try selling poppers! - 019
When Bill Hartwell started selling poppers online he was surprised to discover that payment companies didn’t want his business. In this exclusive interview with Adam, Bill bares all... about the sexual politics of modern banking.Mentioned this episode:VegasPridePositions - Bill’s online storeWe Out Here festival - Tash and Adam will be there this weekend, say hi!Listen to ad-free episodes by suppo
David Shenton’s life in cartoons - 018
Adam got to meet the artist David Shenton and get a sneak peek of his retrospective exhibition at Norwich Castle and Museum. David’s 50+ year career is filled with wit, humour, LGBTQ+ politics, and wry observations — we loved to hear it all. Thanks to the co-curators Ruth Battersby and Ian Giles, and Adam Baker of Queer Norfolk for help with this episode.Kindly Ease the Tension - David Shento
Barbers beyond gender - 017
Tash went for a haircut and took the mic along! Their barber is the marvellous LP, who talked to Tash about seeing clients who are fed up with the way they’re boxed in by their previous hairdressers and barbers. Mentioned in this episode:Queer Me and the Sea @ Turner Contemporary, MargateMargate PrideListen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aunt Nell: Newsletter | In
The 90s mayhem of Stuart Linden Rhodes - 016
You’ve not seen queer nightlife until you’ve seen it through the lens of the photographer Linden. Adam met Stuart, the man behind the lens, to talk about what it was like to take so many iconic photos, and why it’s important to capture queer nightlife.Check out Linden’s photos on Instagram and the book, Out and About with Linden.Listen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aunt Nel
The Sound of Trans Freedom - 015
A stack of letters written by trans people asking for help in the 90s is an essential piece of queer history. The letters are rightly kept confidentially, but a year ago we were given special access to make a sound art piece using them. Today we’re marking the anniversary of that work, which was produced by Tash and Arlie Adlington, with contributions from Jesse Lawson, Kamari Romeo, naafi, and Im
Hastings queer history - 014
Tash went along to Hastings for a tour of Lemons, Laws and Secret Doors — an exhibition made by a local queer collective all about their history. There was so much to discover!Tash and Adam are running a writing workshop at Joelle Taylor’s Maryville salon this weekend - tickets here!Listen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aunt Nell: Newsletter | Instagram | YouTube
FKA twigs, and why Adam is an alien - 013
Adam takes Tash on a deep dive of the artist FKA twigs: her style, her drive, her weirdness, and of course her delicious music. We covered the full range of her career and why she’s an icon for queers, women and weirdos. We love you, twigs!Discussed in this episode:Poni’s flip of Fallen Alien by FKA twigsListen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aunt Nell: Newsletter | Ins
Bradford’s queer history - 012
Tash got a tour of Bradford’s queer history with Alice Parsons, who runs the city’s Castles in the Sky project. We learnt all about the local Switchboard, the gay arts festival, the lesbian support line, and how these all stem from Bradford’s radical politics.Discussed in this episode:Amnesty International report on gender-critical movements and media Castles in the Sky in BradfordListen to a
‘Sferics’: the spooky sound of connection - 011
Tash has tuned into the secret sounds of electricity pylons (no, really) and discovered something unique about human connection and queer experience. We learnt about ‘sferics’ and about static electricity in the air, and how it affects us all.Discussed in this episode:Petition to call for a public inquiry into the impact of Section 28Listen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aun
Our exclusive tour of Queer Britain - 010
Tash went down to Kings Cross in London to visit the newly re-opened Queer Britain museum. From nightclubs like Club Kali to footballers like Justin Fashanu, from the painter Carrington to dyke-themed folk songs, the museum captures every part of queer life. Thanks to Jennifer Shearman (curator) and Beau Brannick (assistant curator) and everyone at Queer Britain.-Adam + TashQueer Britain’s website
Staying afloat - 009
It feels like life is pulling many of us down at the moment — so we asked each other: what do you do to stay afloat? We discuss swimming, solo cinema trips, birds and well-stocked food cupboards. The queer future starts here?-Adam + TashListen to ad-free episodes by supporting the show on Patreon.Aunt Nell: Newsletter | Instagram | YouTube | websiteThe Log Books is hosted and produced by Tas
Hunky Jesus - 008
Every Easter in San Francisco, there’s a competition to find the best hunky Jesus. We didn’t go to it, BUT we spoke to Sister Roma, one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the order of queer nuns that organises it. AND to filmmaker Jennifer Kroot who’s just made a film about the sisters and their search for hunky Jesus. -Adam + TashFilms: Hunky JesusLa GraziaTeenage Sex And Death At
Second adolescence - 007
Why have one adolescence when you can have two? That’s the reality for many LGBTQ+ people. So let’s talk about what happens when you come out (or let people in), and unleash a whole new era on yourself. Sex, friendships, romance, lifestyle — all these things are up for grabs again a second time around for many queer people. Why is that? And what does psychology research say about it?-Adam + TashDi
Ghosts of your former self - 006
We’ve got a star guest this week! Tino Orsini is a versatile character actor — you might have seen him playing the artist Banksy in Ted Lasso. For his next trick he’ll be on stage performing an intimate solo show about his own dark past. It’s all based around the time he tried to make it in Hollywood.We loved hearing Tino’s reflections on immigration, addiction, sex, family secrets and, of course,
Lab rats - 005
Tash has been reading some intriguing studies about the psychology of lab rats — and has discovered something about themself in the process. So let’s talk about it! Join us while we gnaw on the topics of cages (real and imagined), being queer, and the power of nature.-Adam + TashDiscussed in this episode:The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-SmithAunt Nell: Instagram | YouTube | websiteThe Log
Inherent Vice - 004
We make no secret that we’re obsessed with queer history and heritage. So in this episode Tash met Shoun Obana who’s created a zine called Inherent Vice, “for heritage professionals and enthusiasts alike”. We’ve also got a poem by Tash, Dear Section 28.-Adam + TashDiscussed in this episode:Zine: Inherent ViceRadio poem: Dear Section 28, originally created for Short Cuts, series 33, a Falling
An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail - 003
Sometimes you read a book and feel ‘this is a bit of me!’ That’s how we both felt reading An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail, so we wanted to talk about it. It’s a book about friendship, across generations, and the power of queer solidarity. So it also led us to two recent photography exhibitions too.-Adam + TashDiscussed in this episode:Book: An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail by Hélène GiannecchiniExhibit
Margate Queer Library and Archive - 002
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside… Tash went for a swim (Adam went to the cafe), but we BOTH went to the Margate Queer Library and Archive, which is run by Sé Malaïka Nomyo. We also met Jen Scott, aka SHELLY GROTTO, who also told us about her work on Margate and Thanet’s queer history.Discussed in this episode:Space: Margate Queer Library and ArchiveVideo: New Rumours on YouTube-Adam +
The Stories of Our Lives - 001
We’re relaunching your favourite podcast! We’re Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, and EVERY WEEK we get together to talk about history, politics, art and LGBTQ+ life. From us ageing millennials nattering on, to interviews with exciting people doing amazing things, The Log Books contain… the stories of our lives. Let us know what you think of the new format, and what you think we should fe
Queer roots | Episode 15
Tash and Adam listen to Abi McIntosh, our youngest interviewee!, who first listed her sexuality on MySpace...Abi also reflects on her experience of connecting with older queer Black people, and how this has changed how she sees herself.You can listen to Abi on the podcast Black And Gay, Back In The Day on Apple and Spotify.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Bri
Being both | Episode 14
Adam and Tash hear from Faizan, who co-founded Imaan, a network for queer Muslims.Faizan recalls what it felt like to be growing up as a British Pakistani queer person in London in the 80s, and the electricity of a first (good) kiss.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Walker and Adam ZmithThe voi
Girl power | Episode 13
Adam and Tash listen to Steph Fuller recall what it was like for trans women to go out on the town in the 90s.Steph reflects on growing up queer and trans, and what it meant to have places to go — in one of our most affecting and intimate interviews yet.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Wa
Active listening | Episode 12
Tash and Adam hear from Monty Moncrieff, who took calls for Switchboard for years and now runs London Friend.Monty remembers what it was like to take difficult calls from LGBTQ+ people, and also to be listened to himself, when he gave his first interview in season 3 of The Log Books podcast.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listen
No going back | Episode 11
Adam and Tash hear from Clare Truscott, a riotous femme punk who tirelessly serves her community and always has an abundance of stories to tell.Clare reflects on being a part of the podcast and being a lesbian in the 80s and 90s, and how more recently she’s been campaigning to end homophobia in care homes for older people.You can find out more about Clare’s work on Not Going In The Care Close
Never pretending | Episode 10
Tash and Adam listen to Catherine Lee, who qualified as a teacher in the late 80s at a time when it was impossible for lesbians like her to be open at work.Catherine reflects candidly on the impact of sharing her story on the original Log Books podcast, and how her life has transformed from shame to pride.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpl
Leather and love | Episode 9
Tash and Adam hear from Richard Desmond, aka Switchboard’s once resident leather queen.Richard reflects on a life in the LGBTQ+ community, as a leatherman, a volunteer, a friend and lover. We love you, Richard.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Walker and Adam ZmithThe voice of the log books: Se
Dream homes | Episode 8
Tash and Adam listen to Graham McKerrow, who was editor of the newspaper Capital Gay in the 80s.Graham reflects on his gay adolescence in the 70s, and how he and his partner transformed a South London house into a communal queer home.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Walker and Adam ZmithThe vo
Standing up, standing out | Episode 7
Adam and Tash hear from Andy Piccos, whose memories of Switchboard stretch back to 1977. Andy remembers the queer family he met through volunteering and living the gay life, and what it was like to come out to his biological, Greek Cypriot family.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Walker an
Life lessons | Episode 6
Tash and Adam catch-up with Femi Otitoju, one of the original contributors of The Log Books podcast, and one of Switchboard’s most valuable volunteers.Femi reflects on what it meant to have her memories recorded, and how she and others made sure that Switchboard served Black people and women.You can also listen to Femi speaking on the podcast Black And Gay, Back In The Day on Apple and Spotify.Buy
Exclusive book extract! | Episode 5
Our book is published TODAY! In this special episode, Tash and Adam read an exclusive excerpt from The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened, published by Faber & Faber.This is a huge milestone for The Log Books project, which started when Tash found the log books over ten years ago. If you listened to our first three seasons, we thank you for sticking with us. If y
The new life (and again) | Episode 4
Tash and Adam hear from Anson Mackay, who left a tiny, remote town in Scotland to embrace a gay identity, and then later another queer identity altogether.Anson reflects with trusting candour on their experiences through the 80s and 90s, and how people feel compelled to explore their gender even before the right words have arrived.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Q
Queer family solidarity | Episode 3
Adam and Tash are joined in this episode by Diana James, who discovered herself as a dyke in the 80s and joined Switchboard as its first trans volunteer. Diana discusses what she learnt as she handled phone calls from distressed queer people, and how the older and younger generations need to support each other.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and
A teacher’s reckoning | Episode 2
Tash and Adam hear from Ruth Turner, who qualified as a teacher in the 1980s at the height of a destructive public debate over gay and lesbian rights. Ruth recalls the chilling effect of Section 28, the law that forbade her from supporting queer students, and helps Tash to reckon with their own experience in school.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britai
Switchboard’s first night | Episode 1
Adam and Tash’s first guest is John Lindsay, one of the founders of Switchboard, the national LGBTQIA+ helpline. John takes us back to the first night in the phoneroom in 1974, when a ragtag gang of queers listened out for that first phone call.Buy our book or see our events listings: The Log Books: Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened.Hosted and produced by Tash Walker and
All-new season, all-new interviews
The UK’s best LGBTQ+ history podcast is BACK. After three groundbreaking seasons from 2019-22, featuring the unique archives at Switchboard, winning a string of awards, we’re returning with a new season.We are Adam Zmith and Tash Walker, hosts and producers, and your guides into queer memories and countless, essential stories.The all-new season of The Log Books will feature intimate interviews we’
Introducing... The Quilt
The Quilt: Living memories of queer Britain & Northern Ireland An audio exhibition open to anyone, anywhere, at any time of day, produced and hosted by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith. Born from a collaboration between the producers of the award-winning podcast The Log Books and the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum Queer Britain, challenges who and what makes queer history. The seri
Introducing: Queer Roots and Routes
We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast we've been working Queer Roots and Routes!Queer Roots and Routes is made by a collective. We are queer. We are migrants or descended from migrants. And we want to tell our stories. Stories of where we’ve come from and how we move in the world today.We don’t have a boss or a Beyoncé. So each episode of this six-part first series of Queer Roots and
INTRODUCING: New podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day
We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day which brings to life a photo archive of Black LGBTQIA+ life in Britain, from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. Each episode is an intergenerational journey focusing on a key photograph from the archive - joining stories of the past, with those of today. Marc Thompson is the gentle, inquisitive and warm
BONUS: Tash and Adam tour the Out And About LGBTQ+ exhibition at the Barbican
In this bonus episode made for Nothing Concrete, the podcast of London's Barbican, Tash and Adam riffle through many more items from LGBTQ+ history. The Bishopsgate Institute doesn't just look after the amazing Switchboard log books — they also hold gay badges, protest placards, intimate photo albums and historical trackie tops. Forty of these items are being displayed in the free e
“Thank you for being here” | Episode 10
This is it! After three seasons covering 1974 to 2003, Tash and Adam reach the final page in the log books in Switchboard’s archive. In this closing episode of The Log Books, Adam and Tash reflect on all the stories they’ve heard across the three years making this podcast. They also bring to light one type of log book entry that has not yet been covered in the podcast, and listen to young people w
“Not suitably dressed” | Episode 9
Rubber? Feet? Piss? Flogging? Role play? What’s your kink? In this episode Tash and Adam listen to dozens of dirty stories from the LGBTQI+ community in the 90s. From the publicly funded multi-gender kink night at the London Lesbian and Gay Centre to people wearing nappies and S&M dykes — this episode is raw, sexy, hilarious... and you’ll never be the same again. We also speak to Alex (the DJ
“Interested and willing” | Episode 8
In the 90s more and more lesbians called Switchboard to ask where they could get hold of sperm. All sorts of LGBTQI+ people in the period sought to make families outside of conventional methods and constraints. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear stories from the people who pioneered queer family-making. We also catch-up with some folks who have their own experiences and opinions on what queer fam
“The inability of others to understand” | Episode 7
There is still so much work to be done in making sure LGBTQI+ people with disabilities have what they need, but the 90s saw a definite shift in the right direction. Legal change, growing awareness, and a place at the front of the Pride march. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from queer disability rights campaigners and, of course, Switchboard volunteers about handling calls about intersecting i
“Needs support and reassurance” | Episode 6
Understanding and awareness of various gender identities grew from 1992 to 2003, and more and more trans people called Switchboard for support. This episode offers a fascinating insight into how the LGBTQI+ community evolved over the period, and how trans people grew stronger in asserting their identities. Essential listening for anyone interested in the recent history of gender and queer identity
“They do mean us harm” | Episode 5
On April 30th 1999, the Admiral Duncan gay pub in Soho was bombed by a homophobic Nazi. The attack followed a series of calls to Switchboard threatening violence. In this episode, Adam, Tash and volunteers at the helpline tell the story of the bombing from the phone room, as volunteers rushed to support the LGBTQI+ community. We also hear from John Sizzle, who runs The Glory pub in east London, on
“How refreshing” | Episode 4
Remember how you felt when you first saw the lesbian kiss on Brookside? Or *those* scenes in Queer As Folk? This episode is a tour through the landmark television moments for queer people from 1992 to 2003. Taking in Hayley in Coronation Street and even the calls to Switchboard following a gay storyline on Peak Practice, Tash, Adam and contributors discuss the importance of TV representation,
“Not an easy call at all” | Episode 3
Because Switchboard is set up to support people around matters of sexuality, volunteers sometimes take difficult calls from paedophiles and those who have been the victims of abuse. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from Switchboard volunteers in the 90s about taking those calls, and how they supported people in these awful situations. This episode also features an interview with Oliver, a Switc
“The little darlings” | Episode 2
In the 90s, if two men had sex and one was under 21, both could be imprisoned, while straight people could legally have sex at age 16. This inequality could not last, and that’s thanks to campaigners such as Hugo Greenhalgh and Euan Sutherland, supported by Stonewall. This is the story of their campaign to equalise the law, and of the Switchboard volunteers who helped. Tash and Adam also hear from
“Multiple paradox net files” | Episode 1
The internet began to revolutionise LGBTQI+ life in the 1990s: chat rooms, emails, and of course dating websites. In this first episode of the third season of The Log Books, Tash and Adam pull out stories from the archive at Switchboard - the LGBT+ Helpline about people who called to talk about how the internet was changing their experience of sexuality and gender. They hear memories of early onli
“The queer 90s” | Episode 0
Tash and Adam are back, with 11 all-new weekly episodes covering LGBTQI+ life from 1992 to 2003, using calls made to Switchboard in that period.In this opening teaser episode, Tash and Adam visit two special locations to explain what’s coming up in the season. They also play clips from the forthcoming episodes, from the lesbians looking for sperm donors to the kinky group for people who like dress
Introducing: Making Gay History
Season three of The Log Books launches next week, November 1st, with eleven all-new episodes covering 1992 to 2003, released weekly. FOR NOW — just before our third season begins — we want to share one of our inspirations. Making Gay History. This is such a special podcast to us at The Log Books, for showing us how to bring LGBTQI+ history to life sensitively, now working on its tenth season.To gi
Introducing: Call Me Mother
News! We’re making season three of The Log Books because we’ve received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. While you wait, here’s an episode of Call Me Mother, another podcast, featuring an interview with Sandra Caldwell, a 67-year-old actor who was forced to hide part of herself for 40 years. We loved hearing Sandra tell her story to Shon Faye, with such warmth and wisdom, and
“Would like to stay” | Episode 11
We have so many fascinating stories for our final episode of the season: a lesbian who helped a gay immigrant to stay legally in the UK, a gay refugee who fled Syria, an Indian who learnt that cruising is different in India, Canada and the UK, and a British Indian who built mixed dance nights for London’s range of cultures.Tash and Adam hear about the people who phoned Switchboard for advice on ho
“Crude form of censorship” | Episode 10
After a gay bookshop was raided by customs officers in 1984, the booksellers fought back. This is the story of censorship and community solidarity, and it is not the only one in this episode. Tash and Adam explore the actions of the British state to stop people from seeing things that were considered obscene in the 80s. We also feature a story from people whose magazines and posters were seized, a
“No reason whatsoever to doubt” | Episode 9
From 1983 to 1991, calls to Switchboard about rape and domestic violence increased in number. So in this episode Tash and Adam hear some of those stories and ask volunteers from the time to share their experience of supporting survivors. This episode also features an account of how Switchboard evolved in order to improve how it handled calls about violence, and an update on how these matters are h
“Kiss my rump” | Episode 8
It wasn’t easy being young in the Eighties! Tash and Adam read log book entries and hear stories about growing up, looking for help, and even a teenager who took the government to court. We also catch up with the changes happening around relationships and sex education in schools right now, via Kaley Foran from The Key.Content warning: Suicide, sexual consent and under-age sex.Transcript here.The
“Fatally disruptive” | Episode 7
In 1988 the British government passed explicitly anti-gay legislation. Through log book entries from Switchboard, Tash and Adam return to the scene: lawmakers spaffing about what constitutes a family, gay teachers zipping up and living in fear, and bewildered young people with seemingly nowhere to turn to for advice. This episode is filled with untold stories about Section 28 of the Local Governme
“Right on, sister!” | Episode 6
Lipstick on the windscreen to tackle homophobia — just one of the stories in this latest episode from 1983 to 1991. Tash and Adam focus on the hostility in the air during this period, from people using HIV/AIDS as a reason for their prejudice to tensions within Catholic families. We conclude by speaking to Hafsa Qureshi about her experience as a bisexual Muslim woman today.Content warning: attacks
“Expect extra calls” | Episode 5
Every time anything to do with LGBTQ+ life was mentioned on TV or in the newspaper in the 80s, Switchboard volunteers took extra calls. In this episode, Tash and Adam speak to the people behind TV programmes and newspaper columns, and hear about the feverish atmosphere that led to anti-gay legislation in 1988. The section on today has two very special guests: our very own Shivani Dave, and Simon M
“A hedgehog in my kitchen” | Episode 4
Some light and laughter in our fourth episode of this season! Tash and Adam hear memories of joy and strength from 1983 to 1991, through the log books at Switchboard and stories from people who remember those years. We also feature the Lesbian Strength Marches, Switchboard’s one-millionth call and an interview with Thigh High, the band who centre their music on queer joy. Transcript here.The
“Damage caused” | Episode 3
Bottling attacks and cruel newspaper editorials — this is the story of how the HIV/AIDS crisis hit the LGBTQ+ community in the 80s. Through Switchboard’s unique log book entries, Tash and Adam also uncover the story of a very special volunteer who handled the hardest calls you can imagine. This episode concludes the three-part set of episodes on HIV/AIDS in Season Two, before we move on to other s
“One hell of a state” | Episode 2
Tash and Adam continue exploring the HIV/AIDS crisis through the calls made to Switchboard from 1983 to 1991, in this second of three episodes on the subject. This episode contains memories of Switchboard volunteer Mark Ashton, more from George, and further log book entries from the anonymous volunteer looking for others with an HIV diagnosis. We also have untold stories about the UK government’s
“Please be gentle” | Episode 1
This is the story of the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic as it has never been told before: through the voices and notes of the people who took phone calls made to an LGBTQ+ helpline. From 1983 to 1991, Switchboard volunteers supported people living with HIV, their loved ones, and people scared of it. In the first of three special episodes that start Season Two of The Log Books, Tash and Adam
Re-opening The Log Books | Episode 0
The award-winning podcast The Log Books returns for Season Two! Our brand-new set of episodes cover 1983 to 1991, continuing where Season One left off in 1982. As always, our re-telling of Britain’s history is led by the handwritten notes made by volunteers at Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline.In this short episode, hosts Tash and Adam return to the Switchboard log books by visiting two locati
“Joy, friendship and also bitterness” | Season 2 preview episode
Season 2 of The Log Books is coming soon... Our unique exploration of the UK’s queer history through the pages of Switchboard’s log books will be strong, reflective and antiviral!If you’d like to support our work in bringing season 2 to life, you can contribute financially at supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.In this preview episode, Tash, Adam and Shivani welcome you into their production process f
“Just needs a chat” | Bonus lockdown episode
This strange moment in history is bringing feelings of isolation and loneliness to so many of us. The coronavirus lockdown has even slowed the production of season 2 of The Log Books, as Tash and Adam are stuck at home. So let’s talk about it.We’ve based this special lockdown episode on untold stories from calls to Switchboard from the 70s and 80s, as usual. But the episode is also built around Ad
“How nice!” | Bonus LIVE Episode 1
We’ve taken The Log Books out of the archive for LGBT History Month! We recorded this special episode in front of an audience at an event in London on February 5th 2020. You’ll hear fresh voices and familiar ones, including Tash and Adam. As ever, we are led by the handwritten notes made by volunteers in Switchboard’s log books from 1974 to 1982. The event was held at the Finsbury Library and
Closing The Log Books | Episode 9
Hello listeners, thank you for joining us through the laughter and tears of queer life in Britain from 1974 to 1982. In this final episode of our first season, Adam and Tash reflect on the stories we’ve all heard. We love hearing your reactions to the stories we’re telling too. Please keep them coming!Transcript here.The handwritten notes in Switchboard’s log books continue through the difficult y
“I was an inconvenience” | Episode 8
The early log books open up a world before HIV, showing what it was like for LGBTQ+ people needing healthcare between discos in the 70s. A doctor and a patient are among those who tell Tash and Adam what it was like. Some of the same infections are on the rise again today, as explained by Dr Tristan Barber, a consultant in HIV and sexual health.Content warning: stories about transitioning and bein
“It’s great to be gay!” | Episode 7
People often make a phone call because they are lonely and isolated, as the log books at Switchboard show. Exploring this issue, Tash and Adam hear from Tony Whitehead and others who took such calls in the dead of night. Chryssy Hunter explains about the issue of loneliness among our LGBTQ+ elders today.Content warning: stories about racism, including slurs, and suicide.Transcript here.The Log Boo
“Anything goes” | Episode 6
In the 70s, there was no such thing as an “LGBTQ+ community”. The log books reveal how identities, labels and definitions have always been in flux among those with minority sexual and gender identities. Former Switchboard volunteer Diana James is among the contributors who explains all this to Tash and Adam. Transgender and non-binary activists Owl and Fox Fisher guide us through their thoughts on
“You might well be very angry!” | Episode 5
The 70s was a hotbed of activism, from lesbians fighting for child custody to gay men demanding equal laws for the age of sexual consent. Tracking the movement through the log books, Tash and Adam hear from activists on the frontline, including Lisa Power and Ted Brown. Meanwhile, young activists in a resurgent Gay Liberation Front discuss the actions they plan for 2020...Content warning: stories
“Pretty policemen” | Episode 4
The log books are full of stories about raids on parties and arrests made in public toilets, as the police sought to stop men having sex with men in the 70s and 80s. Tash and Adam hear from the people who suffered through unfair laws and police persecution, a lawyer who defended them, and a retired police officer with regrets. Contributors include Terry Stewart, who is still seeking a pardon for h
"Let's not shy away from sex" | Episode 3
A quick glimpse into Switchboard’s log books from the late 70s might make you think that every caller wanted to know about sex. Tash and Adam hear from former volunteers such as Femi Otitoju on advising callers about how to do it, where to cruise, and importing sex toys. Contemporary poems from Michelle Mangal, Annie Hayter and Richard Scott put sex lives into modern words.Content warning: sexual
"Huddled together in a corner" | Episode 2
Pubs and clubs have brought LGBTQ+ people together for many years—to chat, plot, dance, and hook-up. Tash and Adam listen to stories from nights out in the 70s/80s, from the log books and new interviews. They hear how Elaine and Lyn’s lives changed forever in a pub more than three decades ago, and from the queer babes behind Aphrodyki, one of London’s hottest nights today.The Log Books — stories f
"Crashpad needed" | Episode 1
Runaways and rough sleepers, communes and flatshares, crashpads and catastrophes... Stories about home feature heavily in Switchboard’s log books. Tash and Adam listen to LGBT+ people who searched for somewhere to live in the 1970s, and hear about the persistent problem of homelessness in 2019.Content warning: stories of suicide and racism, and historic terms.Transcript here.The Log Books — s
Opening The Log Books
What if we told you that we could glimpse into LGBT+ life from decades ago? The Log Books are a unique set of documents tracking Britain’s queer history through the voices of people who have called for help.Since 1974 volunteers at Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline, have written callers’ stories down in log books. Hosts Tash Walker and Adam Smith are re-opening these pages today, to hear worrie
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