Julian Vincent Hows
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Julian Vincent Hows | |
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| Born | 5 August 1955 Brixton, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Activist; HIV rights advocate |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Known for | LGBTQ+ activism; HIV stigma and criminalisation advocacy |
Julian Vincent Hows (born 1955) is a British LGBTQ+ and HIV-rights activist known for his long-standing work in community organising, political protest and campaigns for policy change. He first came to public attention in the early 1970s as part of the Gay liberation movement, was a pioneer in establishing housing co-operatives in Lambeth for young queer people, and later became a prominent voice in campaigning around HIV, stigma and homosexual criminalisation worldwide.
Early life and education
Hows was born in Brixton, London, on 5 August 1955. He was expelled from Tulse Hill School in 1972 for his involvement in early gay rights activism.[1][2]
Activism and career
Early LGBTQ+ activism
Hows joined the Gay Liberation Front in the early 1970s.[3] In 1972, students of Tulse Hill School in Lambeth had multiple conflicts with a local gay commune on Athlone Road where Hows was living with other members of the Gay liberation Front.[4]
He was involved in the creation of squats and co-operatives in the London Borough of Lambeth (e.g., Railton Road) and helped create one of the UK's first gay community centres. He participated in early London Pride marches and other protest actions. In 1980, with others, he was arrested at the London Pride celebration. Frank Egan was arrested when police decided his head dress constituted an offensive weapon. Hows protested Egan's arrest, and was then also arrested, along with several other protestors. After the defendants appeared in the magistrates' court in drag, the charges were dismissed.[5] Hows described the arrest and the intervention of activist Terrance Higgins in Jivani Alkarim's book It's Not Unusual.[6]
Hows was a founding member of South London Gay Liberation Theatre Group, later known as the Brixton Faeries. Formed in 1974, the theatre group aimed to expose the bigotry, prejudice and segregation that society imposed upon homosexuals.[7] He was also a member of the Bloolips performance group[8]
London Transport uniform protest
In 1974, Hows worked as a guard on the London Underground. In 1978, he submitted a memo requesting the option to wear a women's uniform and subsequently staged a photo-call protest in women's uniform at Earl's Court station. The protest received national press coverage and has become a noted moment in gender/sexuality activism. His protest is documented at the London Transport Museum.[9]
HIV-rights and global advocacy
In the early 1980s, Hows volunteered with the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (now Switchboard UK) as part of the early response to HIV. He was instrumental in establishing the first use of computers to create a database of resources that volunteers could use to provide information and support to LGBT callers throughout the UK and parts of Europe. After his own HIV+ diagnosis, he became a leading activist around issues related to male sex workers, peer advocacy for people living with HIV, and outreach in cruising areas. He remains a member of the Community Advisory Group for the National AIDS Trust in the UK. In February 2025, the Trust published an interview with Julian as part of their celebration of LGBT+ History Month.[10]{
In recent years, Hows has been engaged in international initiatives (e.g., Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+),[11] the HIV Justice Network) on issues of HIV criminalisation, testing access, stigma. In 2010 he wrote for the BBC about the challenges related to growing old with HIV.[12] Subsequently, Hows was referenced as an author and presenter of various papers and presentations to European Commission Departments.[13] He is a member of community advisory groups (for example with National AIDS Trust) on HIV stigma and rights.
Legacy and recognition
Hows has been recognised by the Borough Council in Lambeth as an LGBTQ+ 'changemaker'. His actions had a significant impact on housing co-ops for LGBTQ+ youth and HIV-rights policies internationally.[14]
His LGBT+ uniform protest is cited in London transport history.[9]
Personal life
Hows came out in 1969 at age 14. The Sexual Offences Act 1967 had made consenting homosexual sex between men 21 and over legal just two years before.[15] He was diagnosed with HIV infection in 1990. He once said "One of the peculiarly English things that we are actually quite good at, especially in gay politics, is that we make fun of things! And making fun of authority sometimes changes more than balaclavas and Molotov cocktails, and it's another form of peaceful demonstration."
Select publications
- Stigma and The People Living with HIV Stigma Index, EuroTEST website, 2009
- The People Living with HIV Stigma Index 2.0: generating critical evidence for change worldwide, National Library of Science website, 2020
- The People Living with HIV (PLHIV) Resilience Scale: Development and Validation in Three Countries in the Context of the PLHIV Stigma Index, National Library of Science website, 2019
- Internalized stigma among people living with HIV: assessing the Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale in four countries, National Library of Science website, 2020
- AIDS: Foundations For The Future, Taylor & Francis Group, 22 April 2014
- Selling Safer Sex: Male Masseurs and Escorts in the UK, Taylor & Francis Group, 1994
References
- ↑ Townson, Ian (4 August 2025). "Revolting Gays - South London Gay Community Centre and Brixton Gay Squats". Revolting Gays. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ↑ Roberts, David (22 May 2025). We Are Your Children: A History of LGBTQ+ Activism. England: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781529015362.
- ↑ Wade, Bex (5 July 2022). "Gay Liberation Front Activists on the First UK Pride". VICE Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Feather, Stuart (2016). Blowing the Lid - Gay Liberation, Sexual Revolution and Radical Queens. Oxford: John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 9781785351440.
- ↑ Clews, Colin (6 May 2013). "Police Problems At UK's Lesbian And Gay Pride". Gay In The 80's. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Jivani, Alkarim (2016). It's Not Unusual. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253211507.
- ↑ "Brixton Faeries". Unfinished Stories. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ "Bloolips". Unfinished Stories. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Julian Hows - A Tube Guards pioneering LGBT gender protest". London Transport Museum. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ "Activism takes many, many forms". National AIDS Trust. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Laurance, Jeremy (11 October 2011). "Positive Thinking: Living with the Aids Virus". The Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Hows, Julian (21 July 2010). "Facing Old Age With HIV". BBC News. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Hows, Julian (2013). "People living with HIV stigma index Estonia: advocacy initiatives and results" (PDF). Public Health European Commission. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ↑ "Lambeth LGBTQ+ changemakers: Julian Hows". Lambeth Council. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ↑ Turner, Alex (5 May 2023). "Sexual Offences Act 1967". UK Parliament. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
External links
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