Pam Isherwood

“In 1986, Haringey was one of the first councils to set up a Lesbian and Gay Unit. There was some resistance, co-ordinated by local Conservatives, but it also came from parents’ groups who had not previously come across out-and-proud gay people. There were furious council meetings, which culminated in a book burning outside the Town Hall. Gay and Black groups set up small and bigger responses. In May 1987, they held a big ‘Smash the Backlash’ march, where instead of parading up and down the High Road, it went around The Roundway and back, a route through private houses and council estates.

I did a lot of photographing demonstrations of many shapes, from static pickets to big national marches. I’d been following the Haringey story, friends of mine were involved in the Unit, so of course I went. Around 3,500 people turned up. It was a good-hearted event and any objection from the parents’ rights group was muted. It ended at the Town Hall and then, as often happened, in the pub. It was one of the first events to work effectively across LGBTQ+, Black, feminist, left and trades union groups – because of the determination to not let ourselves be set against each other.

My photography has often been about the politics I’m involved with, albeit sometimes peripherally. Most of my protest and demonstration jobs were not commissioned; I would just go out of interest and hope to sell the images afterwards. I notice women in a crowd that men may not. In a mixed crowd, I will try to centre any women there, though that can in fact create a misleading effect if there are mostly men, it makes them look more inclusive than a demonstration may be. I guess I can connect easier to other women than some men could.”

The 80s: Photographing Britain runs at Tate Britain from 21 November 2024–5 May 2025.

“Photographing protests in the 1980s was a rebellious time”: 5 photographers share their experiences of capturing activism during this decade