Written by TKT Volunteer Laura Ali

Pearl Alcock was a bisexual artist and bar owner in Brixton, London. She was originally from Jamaica and moved to the UK in her 20s. By the 1970s, Brixton had become a hub for the queer community with the first ever gay centre being set up by the South London Gay Liberation group. Throughout the 80s and 90s more and
more community hubs were established there to represent and advocate for the diverse queer people that lived there.
If you had walked down the street, you might have had a hard time spotting Pearl’s bar. Pearl ran an unlicensed bar, meaning it was illegal for her establishment to be serving alcohol. Not only this, but the 70s and 80s were a turbulent time for the queer community. Homosexuality had only just become legal, and there was still significant prejudice and violence against the
queer community across society. Safe space to socialise would have been very important.

Her bar soon became a cornerstone of Black LGBT society and its closing in the 80s was a significant blow for the community. She opened a cafe soon after, but this also closed when business slowed in the wake of the Brixton uprisings, protests by the black community against the police and authorities.
Alongside her work in the community, Pearl was a talented artist. She became well-known as an “outsider artist.” This is an artist who has not had formal training, or experience in the culture of the formal art world – however given Pearl’s immigrant status and bisexuality, the term here holds an even more powerful statement of defiance and strength.

We all might feel like outsiders at times – but we can all be a bit like Pearl and do our best to be part of a community which is safe, loving and accepting of all.

Thank you to Laura for this blog post. Want to write on a topic? email [email protected] to submit your work!