Gay historian and police advisor Stephen Bourne nominated for blue plaque
London historian and Metropolitan Police Advisor Stephen Bourne, has been nominated for a blue plaque in the borough of Southwark.
Mr Bourne was raised on a Peckham housing estate and still lives in the area. His black history books include Aunt Esther’s Story and the award-winning Black in the British Frame (2001). He is currently working on a book about Britain’s black community and the First World War for next year’s centenary.
A contributor to the gay press for many years, Stephen was the film critic on Gay Times in the early 1990s and in 1996 he published his acclaimed book Brief Encounters – Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema.
In 1992 he curated Out of the Archives, the first of many successful LGBT television retrospectives for the National Film Theatre.
In Southwark in 1995 Stephen was instrumental in setting up one of the first locally-based multi-agency forums to combat homophobic crime. For his pioneering work he was nominated for the Mike Rhodes Award and received the Metropolitan Police Volunteer Award in 2002.
More information about Stephen is available at his website.
Those wishing to vote for Stephen can email [email protected], and voting is open to everyone and closes on 31st October.
The plaque unveiled by the actor and Stonewall co-founder Sir Ian McKellen reads: “Peter Tatchell. Born 1952. Campaigner for human rights, gay freedom and social justice. Lived Here. Voted by the people.”