As the Gay Outdoor Club turns 50, one member celebrates the importance of visibility
In partnership with the Gay Outdoor Club
By David Millar
If you are down for Eurovision in Sweden this year, you’ll know it was back in 1974 when the host nation won – with ABBA`s ‘Waterloo’.
Something else happened that year too. London student Reg Connolly advertised a walk in Snowdonia and five LGBT people attended. Now, made up of 40 groups across the country, it is the Gay Outdoor Club, which has become the UK’s oldest and largest outdoor club for everyone in the LGBTQI+ community.
While most club events involve walking trips, those looking for fresh air, exercise and friendship can choose from more than 30 categories. These cover countless activities, from gardens to cycling and skiing to swimming. Here, the GOC’s David Millar talks about the club’s history, as well as what it means both to him and to its 1,800-strong membership.
So what was it like in 1974 on that walk from Soho to Primrose Hill? It happened in the shadows of just 20 years before, with 2,000 gay men imprisoned for choosing to act on their sexuality. Indeed, June 1954 was the `Pride Month with no Pride` when Alan Turing took his own life.
Given this starting point, those early adopters within the ‘university bubble’ began small – but always thought big. Volunteer-led from the outset, and becoming a registered charity, this was a club finding its feet – and confidence – walking higher and longer.
I was a student myself back in `74, the year Black Pride’s founder, Lady Phyll, was born, and my Students’ Union hosted `Wednesday Walks’. But where was the like-minded company to be found?
Hardly surprising that older GOC members recall meeting passersby who asked of their group, “Where are the wives?” Even today, we are often queried about other myriad walking groups we COULD join instead. Actually, ours is OK, thank you… not just because we are allowed to be OK, but because it’s such fun! Simple.
“It’s all about a mix of socialising, enjoyment, and open spaces”
Now, with 500 events annually, it’s all about a mix of socialising, enjoyment, and open spaces. Is GOC sustainable 50 years on? I think so – with more interest now in healthy lifestyles, unspoilt green spaces and all our heritage. Time out needed in a changing world of too much screentime , urban pollution and relentless pressures.
Some hikes are, well, blockbusters, staying in our memories long after boots have been cleaned and photos uploaded. A sense of achievement. Other walks, visits, events are on offer – Plymouth street Art, Oxford`s annual New Year`s Day history tour, that sell-out carvery lunch in Broughton Hackett…and Picos de Europa in September.
Now, getting a load of LGBTQI+ people in the same place at the same time requires some organisation. Joining GOC means buying into a half a century’s experience of doing just that. Social nights are happening, and walks need organising as many or as few as you feel OK with. Annual weekends (YHA, South West Coastal Path and North Wales ) add new horizons and a glowing sense of belonging.
“It’s that crowd around you which really makes the difference”
Our summer Annual Outdoor Gathering is the time to see long-time friends – and I’ve made more than a few along the way. We visit campuses across the UK, Stirling, Swansea, Canterbury, Lancaster – even the Fire Service Training College at Moreton-in-Marsh have all featured. We’ll also be at Pride in London weekend, re-enacting that first historic walk.
It’s that crowd around you which really makes the difference – new faces, a surprise off-map dash out of hail, or retrieving Georgie’s car keys (hiding in the rucksack the whole time). A sum total greater than the individual parts, joining GOC gave me amazing opportunities, creating, and leading walks and events for others – as well as having some great laughs along the way.
Who would want to miss out? I’d say to all members of the LGBTQI+ family and their supporters – join us at the GOC – and get out more!
Visit the Gay Outdoor Club website now to learn more.