A memorial honoring two men executed for sodomy may be placed on Blackfriars Road, London, after a local politician’s push.
Victor Chamberlain is working with local groups to get money for a rainbow plaque. The plaque will remember Pratt and Smith, who were hanged in 1835.
Pratt was from Deptford, and Smith lived in Southwark. They were arrested on Blackfriars Road after allegedly being caught having sex in 1835. The Alan Turing Law pardoned them in 2017, a law that pardoned men convicted of homosexuality.
Chamberlain said they will apply for funds through the Southwark Liberal Democrats. They want money for a plaque and a ceremony. The council has £30,000 available this year for events celebrating LGBT+ history.
The plaque will be on Blackfriars Road, where Pratt and Smith were arrested. Rainbow plaques mark important LGBT+ people and places.
Sadiq Khan has put up some plaques, including one in Peckham that remembers a Black Lesbian and Gay Centre. Another is at Haringey Civic Centre, where protests happened after the 1980s, leading the council to launch a Lesbian and Gay Unit.
Southwark has many LGB+ residents, ranking fourth in England behind Brighton, London, and Lambeth. The 2021 census says 8.1% are LGB+ there.
Chamberlain said Southwark is proud of its LGBTQ+ people and that it’s important to remember the borough’s history. A plaque for Pratt and Smith is a tribute that celebrates progress and reminds people rights need constant fighting.