This film is part of Free
David Is Homosexual
A lonely gay man discovers friends, love and activism in this rediscovered educational film made by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality
Overview
This is an important rediscovery in Britain's LGBT history, made on a shoestring on Super8 over the hot summer of 1976 by members of the Lewisham branch of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE). The film follows lonely, isolated office clerk David as he discovers CHE, makes new friends and blossoms into a happy, out gay man. Intended as an educational tool, the film was shown around the country to straight and gay audiences. It features rare footage of the 1976 Gay Pride rally in Hyde Park, where Tom Robinson debuted his hit anthem 'Glad to be Gay'.
David is Homosexual was written and directed by the late Wilfred Avery and filmed by David Belton; the pair were supported by many gay men and lesbians from CHE and the wider community. The edited film, along with many reels of rushes and outtakes, was donated to the BFI National Archive in 2016. The soundtrack, which features music donated by Paul South of the band Handbag, has sadly deteriorated, though the narration is audible.
Related
What's a Girl Like You ... What's a Girl Like You ...
Documentary 1969 52 mins Location: Vauxhall
Scintillating look at the 1960s drag renaissance, with a visit to London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Gay Black Group Gay Black Group
Magazine and Review show 1983 25 mins Location: Bloomsbury
The Gay Black Group - reasserting culture and identity on two levels.
What Am I? What Am I?
Current affairs 1980 26 mins Location: Hay-on-Wye/Y Gelli Gandryll
Transgender pioneer April Ashley appears in this moving look at the challenges faced by the trans community in 1980s Britain
Paralysis Paralysis
Drama 2016 9 mins
Struggling with the pressures of homophobia when her partner is taken away by a hateful mother, a young gay woman struggles to cope with the traumas and anxieties of her life.
Facing the Sun Facing the Sun
Drama 1980 54 mins
Sao Paulo-set love triangle drama, featuring a rare TV depiction of bisexuality.
Homosexual Equality Homosexual Equality
Factual TV 1974 50 mins Location: Westminster
The Campaign for Homosexual Equality is given airtime in the first ever community access series on British TV
StoryTrails: The People's Map Lewisham StoryTrails: The People's Map Lewisham
Documentary 2022 18 mins Location: Lewisham
This map showcases a curated selection of audio stories and digitally animated 3D scans of the people and places in and around Lewisham.
Trams and Trolleybuses in London Trams and Trolleybuses in London
Amateur film 1952 10 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Stopping at numerous locations across London, an amateur filmmaker records the last days of trams in 1952 and trolleybuses in 1962.
RT Buses in SE London RT Buses in SE London
Industry sponsored film 1978 4 mins Silent Location: Crystal Palace
Take a trip down memory lane to a time when a fleet of the popular RT buses serves the capital and congestion is still a thing of the future.
Street Scenes V: Changes, changes Street Scenes V: Changes, changes
School programme and Educational film 1975 17 mins Location: Lewisham
Changing streets and school playgrounds – plus children’s paintings – all feature in this final episode of a 1970s children series.
Lewisham's Film Review Lewisham's Film Review
Travelogue 1922 5 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Journey into a lost London with this exquisitely detailed tour of the shops and street life of 1920s Lewisham.
Opening of Tower House Opening of Tower House
Amateur film 1933 6 mins Silent Location: Lewisham
Precious pre-war film of Lewisham town centre, shot on the opening day of Tower House, the huge Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society store, in 1933.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.