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W11 in the 70s. Chapter 5: Men's groups and women's groups: cakes and beer |
By now the political climate had changed in W11. Men were exploring
their sexuality in separate awareness groups and so were women. I
saw the preparation for the men’s group: there were sandwiches and
cakes, and tea was plentiful. Then I went to the lesbian group. Here
the women were drinking cans of beer and suggested a takeaway.
It
was so different.
Now
I was always with women and thought it was about time I had a woman
friend of my own, but I wasn’t too successful at finding one. I met
one woman in one of the women’s houses who wanted to go out, but I
just didn’t want to go. Thank God you didn’t go, said my friend, she
is into sado-masochism. She is a mortician and I’d hate to tell you
what she told us she does to the dead bodies. Then there was Cherie with long silver boots from Chicago. I met her walking on the street and invited her for coffee. My husband really liked her and they seemed to get on really well. Come around to my place, she said, and we walked towards her flat, Cherie and my husband in front engrossed in conversation, and me wandering behind.  Then
suddenly my husband turned round and said: We are not going now.
Why? I asked. She told me she is lesbian and she wants you not me,
and she was only talking to me so that she could be with you. He was
very shocked. Cherie by this time was out of sight. I was really
pleased by this, so next morning I paid Cherie a visit and it was as
if she was expecting me. Her flat had tapestries on the walls and
she had frankincense burning on a brass plate. She sat beside me and
asked me to go to Amsterdam with her for a holiday on her houseboat.
Do you want a hit? she said, and while my mind was registering what
she had said she went to a drawer and brought out the syringe and
white powder. I don’t do hard drugs, I said. There’s always a first
time, she said, so I left and I didn’t go back.
London W11 in the 70s. 6. My birthday
party |
| Pictures: the area where it happened, in photos of the time: Talbot Road, Westbourne Park Road, and Powys Terrace. |
| Contents Bobby and I. 1 How I found out. 1 |
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