Humanists UK mourns Maureen Duffy (1933–2026), trailblazing author and first LGBT+ Humanists President

Humanists UK is deeply saddened to learn of the death of the pioneering writer, activist, and first President of LGBT+ Humanists, Maureen Duffy, aged 92.

Born in 1933, in Worthing, Duffy attended King’s College London, where she earned a degree in English, graduating in 1956. She then worked as a teacher, freelance journalist, and copywriter before devoting herself to writing full-time in the 1960s.

As one of the first people to fight for lesbian visibility in this country, Maureen’s courage and openness about her sexuality transformed gay and lesbian acceptance in the UK, breaking down barriers and prejudice, and giving confidence to other women like her to do the same. In 1962 she published her first novel, That’s How It Was, a semi-autobiographical account of growing up in post-World War II England. Her second novel, The Microcosm (1966), set in the famous lesbian Gateways club in London, was a feminist work that explored the lives of a group of women in 1960s London. It was considered the first ‘openly’ lesbian novel in English, and was banned in Ireland, the Vatican, and South Africa for showing black and white characters socialising together.Expressing the need for visibility for the LGBT+ community in The Microcosm, Maureen said:

‘We’re part of society, part of the world whether we or society like it or not, and we have to learn to live in the world and the world has to live with us.’

In 1967 she spoke about the bravery it takes to come out in a televised interview, notably before the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was enacted – meaning even the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts was yet to come.

The following year, her poetry collection Lyrics for the Dog Hour was published. It included a humanist mass, Missa Hermana, which was later set to music by Dolly Collins, receiving its world premiere at Conway Hall in 2023.

In 1977 she published The Ballad of the Blasphemy Trial, a broadside against the trial of the Gay News newspaper for blasphemous libel, a trial which sparked the formation of the Gay Humanist Group (now LGBT+ Humanists) in 1979. As its first President, Maureen spoke of the ‘ethics of compassion’ underpinning the group, which she defined in a 1980 address as ‘a fluid morality, based on a perception of fellowness, fellow feeling, fellow suffering.’ ‘It is immensely appealing to a writer,’ she said, ‘because it requires a continuing act of the imagination in order to identify with others and it also needs the continuing exercise of the reason if there is to be some bony structure to it, for it not to become mere sloppiness.’

To conclude the talk, Duffy quoted from The Microcosm, using the character of Matt to express a gentle but resolute promise to be part of the world, while remaining true to herself:

‘I’m just taking up my whole personality and walking quietly out into the world with it. We’ll see what happens.’

Beyond her trailblazing efforts for LGBT+ rights, Maureen was also a dedicated champion of authors’ rights, co-founding the Writers’ Action Group to secure the Public Lending Right, and helping to establish the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). She was an early campaigner for animal rights and was involved in early CND marches.

In 2001, she joined fellow Humanists UK patrons in signing a public letter urging the government to reconsider its expansion of faith schools.

Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson commented:

‘Maureen was a brilliant writer and an irreplaceable pioneer of our movement. Her fierce intelligence, sharp wit, and unshakeable commitment to an ethics of compassion transformed British culture and brought vital visibility to non-religious LGBT+ people at a time when it was hardest to do so. She embodied the very best of humanist values – using reason, creativity, and empathy to build a fairer world. Everyone should know her name.’