GBMCC@50 - anniversary archive project.
Happy New Year
We need your help. It’s time to start rummaging through your cupboards and drawers for your LGBTQ+ motorbiking memorabilia.
In 2027 (next year), GBMCC will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The club started in 1977 and in that year, some of our members commemorated the Queens Silver Jubilee, you could buy a Ford Fiesta for the first time, and we queued up to see the premier of Star Wars. Inflation that year was at an astounding 15.8%, Red Rum won the Grand National and we were still searching for the Yorkshire Ripper.
The Gay Liberation Front was strong and we were still fighting for equality, the age of consent in 1977 was a staggering 21 yrs and a Parliamentary Bill to lower this to 18yrs that year was defeated in the House of Lords.
We were dancing for the first time to Baccara, ‘Yes Sir, I can Boogie, Donna Summer, I feel love, and ABBA, Knowing me, knowing you.
You could buy a Honda Goldwing GL1000, HONDA CB750K, or a Ducati 900SS for less than a thousand pounds. Barry Sheen (a well-known male pin up) became the 1977 500cc world champion.
To celebrate this, and to record our important social history, GBMCC is launching our ‘GBMCC@50 Anniversary’ archive project.
We are looking for your past monthly diaries and newsletters, T shirts, photos, and anything else related to gay motorbiking that you would be happy to offer or share. We will also be planning to record our ‘older’ members oral histories of gay motorbiking from those early years. All those donating to this project will (if permitted) have their names acknowledged on our recollection and celebration board.
GBMCC have obtained the support of the Bishopsgate Institute who will host a physical and virtual archive for the club in order to record our 50 years of LGTBQ Motorbiking, the club will retain property rights over all of the physical and digital archive materials.
Our aim is to produce a 50th anniversary booklet containing the archive material for each member of the club during the launch of this important milestone in our club’s life.
We aim to launch the archive in early 2027 so there’s no time like the present to start searching out that GBMCC hidden treasure.
If you would like to contribute an artifact or have a story to tell, please complete the form below and we will get in touch with you in the near future. The online form is HERE.
We would like to thank Roger Smith from South Wales Region for his support in coordinating this archive and the generosity of the Bishopsgate Institute for hosting this project.
Happy New Year and safe biking in 2026.
Graham Getheridge
South Wales and Borders Area Rep.