For decades, the Isle of Wight harboured a secret LGBTQ+ community that remained largely unknown, shaped by social stigma and repression.
Among its members was Robin Ford, a public figure who worked as a teacher, councillor, and mayor while also serving as a gatekeeper for the island’s underground LGBTQ+ network.
Now 82, Robin recalls the conflicted emotions he felt in 1955 when he first came across the word “homosexual.” “I felt very pleased, but I found it all very difficult to live with after that first exhilaration,” he shared. “Being gay was the great unmentionable.”
In an environment marked by overt homophobia, Robin endured years of repression, including a seven-year marriage to women during the 1960s and 1970s. As a teacher, he faced discrimination when “Mr Ford is gay” was scratched onto school desks. Even as a councillor and mayor, he hid his sexuality for 15 years, fearing public exposure and its consequences.
By the 1980s, during the AIDS crisis, Robin became a lifeline for the LGBTQ+ community. He advertised the Isle of Wight Gay Social Club through discreet footnotes in publications like Gay Times. Calls to the single contact number—his own—allowed people to connect. Meetings started at his home before expanding to other venues.
“I had so many people ringing up,” Robin recalled. The group later organised trips to cities like Brighton and Blackpool, offering members the chance to experience life openly, away from the island’s hostile climate.
Another member of the community, Joanne Brady, moved to the Isle of Wight from Ireland at 18 and encountered similar challenges. In 1984, Joanne and other gay women at her workplace were threatened with job loss if they didn’t “sort out” their sexuality.
Fear of being outed pervaded social life. Joanne recalled a nightclub in Newport that hosted gay nights but warned, “You were too scared to go because people would know you were gay.” Secret meetups became a refuge for many.
As the social group grew, they hosted private events, hiring venues for discos or gathering in homes to foster a sense of belonging.
These untold stories are now preserved through Out on an Island, a project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Since 2019, the project has worked to document 100 years of LGBTQ+ history on the Isle of Wight, addressing decades of omission and misrepresentation.
Caroline Diamond, the project manager, highlighted the importance of showcasing rural LGBTQ+ stories: “We wanted to stop the assumptions that gay people just existed in Brighton, London, and Manchester. LGBTQ+ people’s lives were very, very hidden.”
The Isle of Wight hosted its first Pride in 2017 and became the second-ever UK Pride location in 2018, a milestone for the island’s 140,000 residents. While progress has been significant, Robin acknowledges ongoing challenges: “I know that all the problems have not gone away. There is still queer bashing.”
Today, the Isle of Wight is home to numerous LGBTQ+ support groups and organisations, a far cry from the secretive gatherings of the past. The work of Out on an Island ensures that the resilience and courage of people like Robin and Joanne are not forgotten, inspiring future generations to celebrate their identities openly.
