Tom Robinson visits Glasgow Gay Centre 1977: LGBT History Scotland
Celebrities
who visited the Glasgow Gay Center in Sauchiehall St.:
Tom
Robinson
Tom Robinson in Glasgow
The Mens' Union at Glasgow
University, not exactly renowned as a citadel of gay liberation, was
the venue for the Tom Robinson Band on November 19 [1977]. Maybe the
organizers hadn't realized they'd booked a band committed to gay
rights. There were a few jeers and catcalls, but these were more than
outweighed by the enthusiastic reception for the Band's "Glad to
be Gay" song. Next day Tom visited Glasgow Gay Centre and left
the following message for the notice board: "This centre is just
fucking amazing! Wish we had something like it in London. Lot of luck
to you all."
SMG News December 1977.
If you have any more information about this please email me.
Tom Robinson sings Glad to be Gay Manchester 1977
Glad to be gay at Secret Policeman' Ball (Recorded live at the Secret Policeman's Ball benefit concert for Amnesty International, Her Majestys Theatre, London, 30 June 1979.),
Singer, activist and broadcaster Tom Robinson discusses his song Glad to be Gay which he wrote originally for a Gay Pride March in 1976. He released the song in 1978 with the Tom Robinson Band on the group's EP Rising Free. The EP reached number 18 on the UK singles chart within a week of its release.
Glad To Be Gay was banned by BBC Radio 1 but proved very popular on other radio stations such as London's Capital Radio. The song's verses criticises society's attitudes towards gay and other LGBTIQ-identifying people and the lyrics have been updated over the years. The song has been played at many LGBTIQ/queer events including the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in June 1978. Tom Robinson also recalls his first Mardi Gras in Sydney in 1998 in this interview and his thoughts on the songs success and popularity. He would dearly love to perform at the 2018 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras to mark the event's 40th anniversary. #TomRobinson #GladtobeGay #TomRobinsonBandVersions: 7"version (1978):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojnv3fegkfM&t=0s
Secret Policeman's Ball (1979): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLc-bh_DrKw&t=0s
2017 acoustic version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K76lB6bPDao&t=0s