Catalogue Number
NMLH.2022.244
Object Name
Badge
Title
Mark Ashton Trust
People
Mark Ashton, Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), Communist Party of Great Britain
Events
Pride, AIDS Epidemic
Date
1987-2015
Description
Two gold metal badges produced by the Mark Ashton Trust. Mark Ashton was an LGBT and political rights activist who co-founded the group Lesbians and Gay Support The Miners (LGSM) in 1984 to show solidarity with striking mineworkers. He was also an organiser in the Communist Party of Great Britain. Mark died of pneumonia in 1987, shortly after his diagnosis with HIV/AIDS. The Mark Ashton Trust was set up after his death to help other people living with HIV/AIDS. It is now called the Mark Ashton Red Ribbon Fund and is part of the Terrence Higgins Trust.
The badges feature the logo used by the Trust- a face wearing a yellow hat with a red star on it, a reference to the Communist Party that Mark Ashton was an active member of. A red stripe runs behind the face with a black stripe above and beneat. Gold lettering at the top reads: "Mark Ashton Trust". The badge has a simple pin fastening on the back. These badges were likely made and distributed for supporters of the Mark Ashton Trust to wear in exchange for donations, or to be worn during Pride marches.
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