Stand on the Word

You've probably not heard of Rev. Robert Spike, and there's a reason for that. While he was one of the most important figures in the sixties American civil rights movement, he was threatened with being outed if he continued fighting for black voting rights.

Being outed was no small threat in 1960s America. It meant total disgrace and possible prison. Homosexuality was illegal in the US until 2003. But Robert Spike refused to be blackmailed and told LBJ's henchmen, “I don't care what the FBI knows about me. I'm not going to stop fighting for justice.”. Two weeks later he was brutally murdered and smeared with untrue allegations by the police and the White House. His murder remains unsolved today.

An enormous presence within American politics at the time, he was a close associate of Martin Luther King and had previously written speeches for President Lyndon Johnson. His death was a shock to America. But after he was smeared with sexual innuendo and the revelation of his homosexuality, his liberal colleagues deemed it safer to let his death go uninvestigated rather than be associated with the queers.

We want to reverse the erasure of this significant historical figure. His son, the writer Paul Spike, who will be talking with us at this event, is now 78. He wants his father's queer legacy of courage and sacrifice to be known and celebrated. A feature film documentary is now in development, and a proof of concept film needs to be funded. For this, we are raising money on the 24th of July.

We hope you can join us for the Q&A with Paul at 9pm. Music will follow from house legend Terry Farley (Boy's Own) and Handsome DJs Terry Trexstasy & Fitzy.