Alan Martin interviewed by Ash Read

Interview with Alan Martin recorded by Ash Read on 20th February 2025 at Portsmouth. Duration: 1 hour 17 minutes 25 seconds. [Start of interview, track 1] Childhood on the Isle of Wight, education, self-understanding by mid teenage years, homophobic bullying, coming out as gay at 21, catering studies and early career prospects. Work history including Youth Training Scheme with local Council, various jobs, applying for railway work, Revenue Protection Assistant role, Retail Relief post on the Isle of Wight, and disillusionment with a possible police career after hostile treatment connected to homosexuality. [00:15:52] Working on the Isle of Wight and at Ryde St. John’s, qualifying as a driver in 2007, gay colleagues, difficulty finding LGBTQIA+ community locally, volunteering for the island’s LGBTQIA+ Switchboard, and ASLEF LGBTQIA+ advisory committee role representing the Southeast of England excluding London. Discusses being gay in the workplace, colleague and public attitudes, challenging behaviour as a union representative, differences between railway company policies, South West Trains, same gender partner travel passes, Section 28, a large LGBTQIA+ rail workforce, supportive line managers, gay relationships, family support, union work, and attitudes on the Isle of Wight including bullying, policing, limited social opportunities and employment. [00:35:11] Island Line work, stations, seasonal issues, animals on the railway, personal railway interest, local and company council union representation, Pride events including London Pride, Brighton Pride, Rainbow Railway Staff Association, Isle of Wight Pride and UK Pride, Isle of Wight gay men’s chorus, and impact of railway rota on participation. [end of track 01] [Track 02] Island and mainland differences including pay gap, maintenance, signalling, cost of living, driver training at Woking and Basingstoke, refurbished London Underground trains, data recorders, power brake controllers and dead man’s handles; technological progress, company regulations, colleague attitudes to data recording and computers, and memories of a gay colleague. [00:09:08] Impact of union work on career progression; Island Line workers, lack of women drivers and drivers from ethnic minorities, island demographics, Island Line known as The Pink Line, gay male workers, word-of-mouth recruitment, banter, homophobic reactions from colleagues, and links with airline industry workers. [00:21:45] Family relationships, social life, ice hockey, opportunities on the island, thoughts around retirement, family in Florida, Brightline railway jobs and concerns about level crossings in the USA. [00:24:28] Railway company attitudes, support of Section 28, numbers of LGBTQIA+ workers, increasing acceptance of gay people, current hostility towards transgender people, imported attitudes from America, homophobic assaults on public transport, lack of British Transport Police on the Isle of Wight, and current issues around spouse passes, partner passes and the Rail Delivery Group. [end of interview]

This interview was made as part of People Pride and Progress (PPP) project. The project was initiated in 2023 to record the stories and memories of the LGBTQIA+ community in a new oral history archive over two years. It aimed to connect past, present and future through intergenerational interviews, offering opportunities for colleagues across all parts of the rail industry to connect, reflect on and learn from each other’s lived experiences while creating an archive of oral history interviews.