ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

My name is Alec Thorne, and I am a doctoral researcher at the University of Exeter. My research will explore the lives of men from the LGBTQ+ community who lived in Southwest England during the period between the partial decriminalization of male homosexuality in 1967 and the introduction of Section 28 to Parliament in 1987. The research has been reviewed by the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University. Oral history interviews will be central to this research and this document has been prepared to give you any information you might need before deciding to take part. Please take time to consider this information carefully and to discuss it with family and friends if you wish. If you have any questions, or anything is unclear, you are welcome to contact me at any time.

What’s the purpose of this research?

These oral history interviews will contribute to a PhD research project looking at the experiences of men from the LGBTQ+ community in Southwest England during a time of significant historical change. Excerpts from transcriptions of these interviews may be used in my PhD thesis. Further to this, should you wish and with your permission, I would like archive recorded interviews for posterity so that your experiences are not forgotten or lost, and are securely preserved for future research and public reference.

Who can take part?

I am looking for anyone who lived in Dorset, Somerset (including any areas which subsequently became Avon in 1974), Devon or Cornwall for a significant period of time between 1967 and 1987, and who can offer insight into love, sex and intimate relationships between men during this time. This is not restricted to gay/bisexual/queer men but also open to anyone who may have been involved with the LGBTQ+ community, such as doctors, health workers, political campaigners, police officers, magistrates, journalists or others. If you are unsure, please contact me.

What is involved?

Taking part will involve a short conversation (about 15 minutes) with me. This can be either by phone or online via Zoom or Teams. During this, we can discuss in outline what we will talk about during the interview, how the information will be used and answer any questions you might have. If we are both happy to proceed, we will arrange an interview. The interview itself will last about an hour but may take longer. Hopefully this will be in person but, if this is not possible, could be carried out online via Zoom or Teams. If we meet in person, it will be in a mutually agreed, quiet place where you will feel comfortable. It will take place at a time and place that is convenient for both of us. The interview will be semi-structured, and you will be asked about a number of topics using open ended questions. No pressure will be put on you to answer any question which makes you feel uncomfortable or to reveal information you do not wish to disclose. You will be able to pause or stop the interview at any time.

The interview will be recorded online or by an audio device and then transcribed into written form. Extracts may be chosen for inclusion in my PhD thesis or related academic research articles. If you choose, your interview may be archived with the University of Exeter Special Collections for access by future generations.

You will be able to control your information in the following ways:

Immediately after the interview you will be able to redact any information, and this will be removed before transcripts and audio files are used for research or publicly shared. Access to unedited information will only be available to me and to anyone who might be specifically employed to transcribe the interview, following their signature of a confidentiality agreement. Should you wish the interview to be archived, you will also be able to restrict access to all or part of the interview for a specified number of years.
You can ask to review any edited transcripts and audio recording files before they are shared with an archive.
You can contact me and ask for any changes to be made until three months after your interview or you can request that any transcripts or recordings of your interview are destroyed. I am happy to use your real name if you wish but would just use your first name and the initial of your surname if you share a first name with another interviewee. If you prefer, I will use a pseudonym but, even so, you may still be identifiable to people who know your voice and from the information you give during the interview.

Why take part?

There are no direct benefits from taking part although any reasonable costs for travel to and from the interview will be reimbursed. You would contribute to research of how the lives of men who sought intimacy with other men changed over the course of two important decades. Should you wish to archive your interview, it will enable you to record your account of the discrimination and support you may have received and observed during a period when the law and public attitudes changed significantly and to acknowledge friends and partners who were important to you during this time. You will contribute to the historical record of how people from the LGBTQ+ community lived their lives and your experiences will be available to inform and inspire future generations.

Are there disadvantages?

Even if you decide to use a pseudonym, there is a risk that you may be identifiable from information you disclose during the interview. If being out and visible as a member of the LGBTQ+ community may have negative consequences for you, you might not want to participate in this research, restrict access to any archived material or to decline to archive your interview at all. There is a risk that the interview may bring up potentially distressing or uncomfortable memories. Should this happen, no pressure will be placed on you to continue, and you will be free to pause or stop the interview at any time. You will be able to steer the interview away from any sensitive or distressing topics. If you become upset, the Intercom Trust can offer support to LGBTQ+ people in the Southwest. They are available on 0800 612 3010 or via https://www.intercomtrust.org.uk/.

If your interview reveals information that makes me concerned about your safety, I may have to break confidentiality and pass on some basic information (e.g. date of birth, address) about you. I would always try to discuss this with you first. If your interview reveals criminal activities, I may also be forced to break confidentiality in line with legal requirements.

How will information be kept confidential?

The University of Exeter processes personal data for the purposes of carrying out research in the public interest. The University will endeavour to be transparent about processing your personal data and this information sheet should provide a clear explanation of this. If you have any queries about the processing of your personal data not explained here you may contact me or seek further information from the University’s Data Protection Officer by emailing informationgovernance@exeter.ac.uk or at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/ig/

This research involves the collection of basic personal data such as name and contact details (e.g. your date of birth, your address). I will only break confidentiality if I am concerned about your safety or if you reveal criminal activities that force me to do so. If you allow me to keep your contact details, I can contact you to keep you updated about my research. The personal data will be stored in a password protected file on the University’s SharePoint drive. It will be destroyed within two years of the submission of my PhD, currently estimated to be no later than 2030. If you wish to withdraw your personal data before this point, you can contact me at any time.

The interview audio files will be transferred from the audio recorder/local computer drive to the University’s secure SharePoint drive within the week and then deleted from any other device. It will be password protected on the SharePoint drive and accessible only to me and my PhD Supervisors. Any video data that may be generated during a Zoom/Teams call will be deleted.

Should you wish to archive your interview it will be pseudonymised before sharing it with other people if you have chosen this. Otherwise, your real name will be used. Names of third parties will be altered or deleted unless information that you provide about them is already in the public domain. Where permission has been given, interviews will be archived at University of Exeter Special Collections. To contact the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee please email fhass-ethics@exeter.ac.uk

You can also contact the University Research Ethics and Governance Team please email cgr-reg@exeter.ac.uk

Further information.

For further information please contact me by email at at1034@exeter.ac.uk

My Supervisor’s email is kate.fisher@exeter.ac.uk

To contact the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee please email fhass-ethics@exeter.ac.uk

You can also contact the University Research Ethics and Governance Team please email cgr-reg@exeter.ac.uk,

Thank you for your interest in this research!