Source: Labour Hub

Vince was synonymous with Tottenham, as a place, as a political culture, as a football club. Born into a Catholic Irish working class family after the second world war, Vince lived his whole life in and around Tottenham.

He went to his first Spurs game at White Hart Lane with his dad in 1958, and witnessed the historic double-winning team in 1961. Vince was a lifelong Spurs fan even if family and political activity sometimes took precedence over gong to a game. He was at the Civic Receptions for Spurs in 1987 and 1991, and appreciated phone calls from Gary Mabbutt, one of his favourite players, during Covid and on birthdays.

When Spurs won the FA Cup in 1991 he was again a regular on the terraces, after linking up with a group of lesbian and gay Spurs fans in 1990, some of whom had helped set up the Gay Football Supporters Network in 1989. Vince was a season ticket holder at Spurs until Covid, where he continued to challenge homophobia in the ground, and was a founding member of the Proud Lilywhites in 2014.

Vince realised before his teens that he found boys rather than girls attractive, and came out in his early 20s once he left home. He was out to his mum and siblings, his friends and his workmates, and his mum became a strong advocate for lesbian and gay rights. His younger sister Kath came out after Vince, and with his support, set up Regard, the UK’s first lesbian and gay disability rights organisation in 1989.

Vince’s lived experience of disability and caring responsibilities informed all his political practice and he was involved in direct actions against Transport for London over inaccessible public transport. He had worked as a signal operator on London Underground, a National Union of Railwaymen member and never drove or owned a car. After leaving London Underground he worked for a disability advocacy organisation, supporting choice and independence in care, and constantly challenging Hackney Council to fulfil their legal obligations.

Vince was pretty fearless, always ready to take on the necessary fights. He’d harangue street collectors saying they should be campaigning for rights, not charity. In 1978 he was arrested on a demonstration against the National Front (and acquitted at trial). He had been a supporter, indeed a member of the Militant Tendency. By the time he was selected as a Council candidate, he was firmly aligned with Labour Briefing. His politics were shaped by his Irish heritage, his experiences as a gay man and anti-racist, and as a disability activist, so Labour Briefing was a good fit.

Vince Gillespie selling Labour Briefing in 1988. Photo: c/o Leesa Herbert.

From the early 1980s, as the left looked to local authorities as a bulwark against Thatcherism and a site for struggle, a small number of Councils set up Race Equality, Women’s, Lesbian and Gay and Disability Units to deliver on manifesto commitments. Vince stood for election to Haringey Council in 1986, representing Bruce Gove ward alongside Bernie Grant and Martha Osamor. In what was a first for Haringey, he was openly gay on his election address and secured a 42% share of the vote. He was made Chair of the Disability Committee and Lesbian and Gay Sub-Committee, giving political leadership and backing to the recently established Lesbian and Gay Unit.

Vince flatly rejected the idea that he was somehow responsible the Tory Clause (later Section) 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. This prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality or schools teaching about it in a positive light. As an openly gay Councillor he became a focus of both support for, and opposition to, the Council’s policies.

As part of a new policy to promote positive images of lesbians and gay men, Haringey Libraries stocked the children’s book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin. Reactionaries and conservative Christian groups set up the Parents’ Rights Group in response to the policy and campaign, which Vince had been central to creating. He was passionate about the representation of lesbians and gay men in all our/their diversity including as parents, carers and siblings. His sister Kath was a lesbian and disability activist and Vince was deeply, and practically involved in caring for his nephews and indeed other children, including my boys Aidan and Alfie (to whom he will always be Uncle Vince).

The Positive Images campaign sparked local and national action against Clause 28, including in trade unions, and resulted in a national march of over 50,000 in April 1988 in London. In Haringey, the intersectional Smash The Backlash campaign emerged, jointly between Positive Images and Haringey Black Action, mobilising 3,500 people at the Civic Centre in support of the Council and against the Tories, with the demand to “fight bigotry, fight racism”. During this time Vince was attacked in a car with a crowbar and stayed with friends for a couple of weeks, but soon got fed up and returned home.

Although Clause 28 became law, which was a defeat – along with many other aspects of the Local Government Act including privatisation and subsidies to private landlords – the campaign against it grew the lesbian and gay movement and commitment of trade unions to LGBT rights. Vince had also been directly involved in changing Labour Party policy. As a delegate from Tottenham CLP to Labour Party Conference in 1985 he moved the first successful motion for full legal equality for lesbians and gay men.

From the late 1980s Vince was involved in the anti-poll tax campaign, which resulted in the London Region of the Labour Party preventing him – and many other socialists – from standing for election to Council in 1990 as he supported “can’t pay, won’t pay” and would not commit to causing non-payers to be imprisoned. Haringey had one of the biggest anti-poll tax campaigns, and hosted Tony Benn speaking at a rally of over 1,000 in Hornsey Town Hall in late 1989.

Vince was the most loyal of friends and the best of comrades. He loved a good political fight, always trenchant in his views with little patience for nuance. He was quick to raise his voice and let people know they were simply wrong if they disagreed with him. He was never nasty or vicious to people he knew across the Labour Party’s ‘broad church’. In the heat of the moment he could contradict himself, and his opinions on music, food, and football were as strong as his political views. Often he was just standing up against the manifestation of injustice (including Lordi winning Eurovision in 2006).

He was great company, and loved to tell a story (often repeatedly) and had the loveliest smile. He was brilliant caring for children, and also supported his sister up to her death. I think Vince was happiest spending time with his family: he was so proud of their achievements (and so modest about his own). He also loved to watch Spurs on TV from the comfort of The Beehive with a pint of real ale, never none of that “craft ale crap”.

Dearest Vince, rest in power.

Photo: c/o Richard Cotton

Jane Connor knew Vince from the 1980s and was active with him in Haringey Labour Briefing. She is a member of the East London Unite Communities trade union branch.