I wish to propose Julia Darling as an LGBT hero. Born in Winchester, Julia moved to Newcastle and settled there after graduation. She clearly loved the city and her affection for it is shown in her writing; whether it be the tribute to the naked woman on the clock above Northern Goldsmiths, her reference to Bainbridges Department Store, which her mother insists they visit after she comes out to her (as a means of escaping the reality of the situation) or the obscure landmarks around the town moor and Jesmond Dene.
I first came across Julia as part of the Poetry Virgins, who performed at the Little Theatre in 1995-ish. The performance were mind-blowing, funny and tragic and incredibly astute. The banal became deeply symbolic – yet it was all wholly unpretentious.
Julia was a lover of the written word. She went on to write two very different novels: one about a museum curator with ESP who happens to be a lesbian; the other about a teenager whose father can’t cope after her mother is imprisoned, so she steals shoes and hangs them on a secret tree. You must read both of them.
She also chronicled her life with cancer. It’s an uplifting account – never pessimistic. She was convinced that writing and sharing these experiences can turn them into something positive. If you want to know more there is a Julia Darling website and loads of stuff on the BBC, including interviews and film. Just look it up on Google. But don’t get her confused with the New Zealand rock singer of the same name!
Tony, Newcastle
