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Authority record
Sappho Magazine, 1972 - 1981
SM1 · Corporate body · 1972 - 1981

Sappho was a magazine aimed at lesbian and bisexual women that ran on voluntary contributions from both its publishers and its readership. The first issue published in April 1972 and aimed to act as a forum for lesbian and bisexual women in the UK and beyond, providing information on groups, events and resources happening as far as Australia, the US and Canada by the final issue. It encouraged lesbian and bisexual women to form local groups and produce their own newsletters, which ultimately led to a decrease in Sappho’s circulation and decline in funds. The last issue was published in 1981.

NWN1 · Corporate body · 1985 - 2000

The National Women’s Network for International Solidarity (NWN) was a feminist networking group focused on facilitating contact for women concerned with international issues. The network was formed in 1985 during the run up to the Third World Conference in Nairobi, and was officially established in 1995. It was a non-profit organisation coordinated by volunteers and funded by grants and membership subscriptions. It aimed to connect women’s groups and individuals, and promote feminist solidarity for women’s organisations in the UK and abroad. The network also campaigned for change in the policies of governments, aid agencies and other institutions. The group dissolved in 2000 due to lack of finance.

JM 1 · Person · 1936 - present

Jessie McKirdy (1936 - present) is a peace activist who was born in Scotland and has lived in the USA since 1997. She was a member of the Glasgow Women for Peace in Glasgow in the 1980’s protesting against nuclear armaments being deployed in Scotland. As part of this, she attended the Greenham Commons Women’s Peace Camp on December 12th, 1982. Following the closure of the camp in 2000 to make way for the memorial site, McKirdy put together the papers she had kept on the Greenham Commons camp, including photographs and newspaper clippings.

Elizabeth Anderson
BA/1 · Person · 1901 - ?

Elizabeth Anderson was born 12th October 1901 in Clydebank and worked as a crane operator throughout much of her life. From 1922 to 1932, she worked at Babcock and Wilcox, and later served as a crane driver during World War 2 at John Brown’s shipyard. The shipyard, at the time, was internationally renowned, and produced many famous ships. Whilst driving the biggest gantry crane on site one shift, she misjudged a load and blew a fuse, resulting in a whole area of the yard losing electricity, though she continued to work there. She remained single throughout her life due to the death of her fiancé during the war. She was a devoted Methodist, and a member of the temperance and social welfare department of the church.

FH/1 · Corporate body · 1983 - ?

Fourwalls Housing Co-operative was a housing co-operative operating in Glasgow. It was created in order to allow single women to live in better accommodations through mutual ownership. It aimed to help single mothers and women without children, women who were homeless, whether due to unemployment or personal difficulties, and supply housing that women could independently control instead of relying on the council or landlords. They were particularly interested in ensuring buildings were energy-efficient and accessible to people with disabilities. Furthermore, they had an interest in preserving buildings of historical or architectural interest. Fourwalls Co-op was registered in 1978, but had become dormant until being offered for the women’s co-operative. The first open meeting was held in July 1983. In 1987 they were offered 33-37 Carnarvon Street by Woodlands Trust. They worked with Thenew Housing Association from 1986 onwards for professional advice and assistance. A founding member, Dianne Barry, admitted a lot of their more innovative ideas had to be scrapped, such as solar panels. The housing co-operative was still operating in 1999, housing 19 women. The company is currently listed as closed.

ARM 1 · Corporate body · 1976 - present

The Association of Radical Midwives (A.R.M) is a charity dedicated to improving maternity services both in the UK and internationally. It hosts regular meetings at a local and national level, campaigns regularly to protect women’s rights and support midwifery, and produces a quarterly magazine to provide news and updates. It was found in 1976 by a group of student midwives who were concerned with the way maternity nurses were treated during their training. The acronym is a pun on the term ‘Artificial Rupture of Membranes’, or artificially induced labour, which was routinely overused at the time. It is the hope of A.R.M. that they can restore midwifery to a position where midwives’ skills are used in full, alongside the benefits of modern technological advances to give woman and child the best possible chance.

LO1 · Corporate body · 1975-1985

The London Lesbian Offensive Group (L.L.O.G.) was a feminist lesbian activist group focussed on contesting anti-lesbianism. It was officially formed after strong interest shown at the 1982 Lesbian Conference workshop called “On Anti-Lesbian in the WLM”. It was comprised of women with differing feminist politics, all concerned with the prevalence of anti-lesbianism, and sought to prove the anti-lesbianism should be identified as political oppression. There was also a strong focus on the treatment of lesbian mothers, as most of the core members were mothers themselves. They held meetings and workshops for other women to attend, wrote articles and collaborated with other lesbian activist groups, and held discussions considering the Women’s Liberation Movement and its impact on lesbian women.

Josephine Butler Society
JBS1 · Corporate body · 1962 - present

The Josephine Butler Society, originally known as the Ladies National Association (LNA), was founded by Josephine Butler (1828 – 1906), and was created in order to oppose the Contagious Disease Acts of 1864, 1866 and 1869. These Acts focussed on suppressing venereal disease in the armed forces. The 1869 act controversially forced women suspected of being a prostitute to be examined and, if found to be infected, be quarantined for up to three months. The LNA campaigned against such measures, and in 1886 the Contagious Diseases Acts were repealed. The LNA further campaigned against sex trafficking and child prostitution, and it was their efforts that raised the age of consent to 16 in 1885, as well as introducing measures to suppress brothels and prevent trafficking. In 1915, the LNA joined with the British Branch of the International Abolitionist Federation (IAF), also founded by Josephine Butler, to become the Association for Moral and Social Hygiene (AMSH). The society took Josephine Butler’s name in 1962. The society acts to this day as a pressure group campaigning against the legalisation of prostitution, the trafficking of women and the marginalisation of those vulnerable to being forced into the profession.

KM1 · Person · 1912 - 2008

Katharine Morton (1912 – 2008) was an architect and conservation activist. She grew up in the Lake District with her father Sir Samuel Haslam Scott, an important figure in the National Trust for conservation in the Lake District, and showed a talent for drawing from an early age. During this time, it was not conventional for women to have a career, and as such she didn’t start training until 1937. She qualified as an architect during WW2, as well as marrying her husband in 1944. Together they moved to Carlisle where Katharine became involved with Care of Churches work for the Carlisle Diocese and committee work for the National Trust. They moved to London in 1976, and remained until her husband died in 1987, whereupon she moved to St Johns Wood and continued to work and travel. She was regularly involved in community groups such as the Girl Guides, as well as giving lectures, most notably for interior design. Katharine was also an avid sailing and skiing fan, and spent much of her life indulging in the pastimes. She passed away in her flat in 2008 under the care of her daughter and live-in carer.

KC1 · Person · 1950 -

Kate Charlesworth is a cartoonist and artist who has regularly contributed to LGBT and equality campaigns with her art. In 1988, when Clause 28 of the Local Government Act was pushing to ban the promotion of and education about homosexuality, she and three other local cartoonists produced a series of postcards to campaign against it. Her work has appeared in LGBT publications such as “The Pink Paper”, “Gay News”, “Strip AIDS”, and “Dyke’s Delight”, as well as “The Guardian”, “The Independent” and “New Internationalist”. She has also illustrated multiple books, including The Cartoon History of Time (2013), All That – the Other Half of History (1986), and Sally Heathcote: Suffragette (2014). Further, she has done work for the National Association of Local Government Officers (NALGO), a union which merged with two others to form UNISON in 1993. Her work has appeared in several exhibitions, including Rainbow City in 2006, and sh[OUT] in 2009. Her autobiography, Sensible Footwear: A Girl’s Guide, was published in 2019, and explores the evolution of LGBT experiences and perceptions in society from the 1950s to present day. She is openly lesbian, and currently lives with her partner in Scotland.