Gay people have special reason to honour the memory of the celebrated pianist Peter Katin (Obituary, 30 March). He gave a number of public recitals in support of homosexual law reform in the 1960s and 70s and in addition to being banned for this by Tunbridge Wells local authority, as recorded in your obituary, he received other protests, including an angry letter from a concertgoer after a recital at St John’s Smith Square. This gave rise to a continuing vituperative correspondence, detailed in the recently published history of the emergence of the modern LGBT movement (Amiable Warriors; Paradise Press), which, while reading mildly amusingly to modern eyes, is a pertinent reminder of the not-so distant past.
We may have become used to celebrities voicing support for LGBT rights, but stubborn prejudice still persists as evidenced in the current court case in Belfast (Refusal to bake gay-themed cake shocked man, court hears, 27 March). It remains important not to forget the bravery of those who spoke out in more hostile times.
Nicholas Billingham
London
