Age, Biography and Wiki

Mark Ashton was born on 19 May, 1960 in Oldham, Lancashire, England, is a British gay rights activist (1960–1987). Discover Mark Ashton's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 26 years old?

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Occupation Gay rights activist, General Secretary of the Young Communist League
Age 26 years old
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Born 19 May 1960
Birthday 19 May
Birthplace Oldham, Lancashire, England
Date of death 11 February, 1987
Died Place Southwark, London, England
Nationality United Kingdom

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 19 May. He is a member of famous activist with the age 26 years old group.

Mark Ashton Height, Weight & Measurements

At 26 years old, Mark Ashton height not available right now. We will update Mark Ashton's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
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Mark Ashton Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Mark Ashton worth at the age of 26 years old? Mark Ashton’s income source is mostly from being a successful activist. He is from United Kingdom. We have estimated Mark Ashton's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income activist

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Timeline

1960

Mark Christian Ashton (May 19, 1960 – February 11, 1987) was a British gay rights activist and co-founder of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) support group.

He was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and general secretary of the Young Communist League.

Ashton was born in Oldham, and moved to Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, where he grew up.

1978

He studied at the former Northern Ireland Hotel and Catering College in Portrush, before moving to London in 1978.

Richard Coles wrote about this period: "Mark also worked for a while as a barman at the Conservative Club in King’s Cross, or, rather, as a barmaid, in drag, with a blonde beehive wig. I was never sure if the patrons worked out that he was really a man".

1982

In 1982, he spent three months in Bangladesh visiting his parents, where his father was working for the textile machinery industry.

The experience of his sojourn had a profound effect on him.

Upon his return, he volunteered with the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and joined the Young Communist League (YCL).

1983

In 1983 he featured in the Lesbian and Gay Youth Video Project film Framed Youth: The Revenge of the Teenage Perverts, an early documentary that won the Grierson Award 1984 for Best Documentary.

1984

He formed, with his friend Mike Jackson, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) support group after the two men collected donations for the miners on strike at the 1984 Lesbian and Gay Pride march in London.

The group was formed in Ashton's flat in Claydon House on the Heygate Estate, Elephant and Castle.

1985

After LGSM, he became involved in the Red Wedge collective and became the General Secretary of the Young Communist League from 1985 to 1986.

1987

Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, Ashton was admitted to Guy's Hospital on 30 January 1987 and died 12 days later of Pneumocystis pneumonia.

His death prompted a significant response from the gay community, particularly in publication and attendance at his funeral at Lambeth Cemetery.

1989

The Constantine Giannaris film Jean Genet Is Dead (1989) was dedicated to his memory.

2008

Since 2008, the Terrence Higgins Trust has included the Mark Ashton Red Ribbon Fund, which had collected more than £38,000.

2014

A friend of Ashton, Chris Birch, described him in 2014 as "a lapsed Catholic who still went to mass very occasionally."

In his memory, the Mark Ashton Trust was created to raise money for individuals living with HIV, and it had raised £20,000.

The Trust also memorialised Ashton in May 2014 on a plaque at the entrance its London headquarters.

Ashton is remembered on a panel on the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

The LGSM's activities were dramatised in Pride, a film released in September 2014 featuring Ben Schnetzer as Ashton.

Ashton's role in the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners group was recalled in a series of interviews with some of its other members prior to the film's release.

However, Ashton's membership in the Young Communist League was not explicitly mentioned in the film, possibly to avoid alienating American audiences.

Fellow communist activist and a close friend of Mark Ashton, Lorraine Douglas, accused the film of having "glossed over Mark's politics and said nothing about the fact he subsequently became General Secretary of the YCL."

Schnetzer was nominated for two British Independent Film Awards for his performance.

Following the film's release until 21 September, the Mark Ashton Trust received £10,000 in donations.

2017

In 2017, on what would have been Ashton's 57th birthday, a blue plaque was unveiled in his honour above the Gay's The Word bookshop in Marchmont Street, London, the site where LGSM met and held meetings during the miners' strike.

The ballad "For a Friend" in the album Red from synth-pop duo The Communards was written in his memory.

Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock wrote that the cut may have been Jimmy Somerville's "most impassioned moment".

Ashton was a friend of both Somerville and Richard Coles.

"For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts.

2018

On 25 September 2018, the Council of Paris awarded the garden adjoining the Hôtel d'Angoulême Lamoignon the new name of Jardin de l'Hôtel-Lamoignon - Mark-Ashton (Hôtel-Lamoignon - Mark Ashton Garden), in his memory.

On 2 June 2021, the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council approved the erection of a memorial blue plaque in his hometown of Portrush.

On 28 August 2022, a tree was planted in St Columbs park in memory of Mark Ashton, as part of the 2022 Foyle pride events.

His former LGSM member Mike Jackson and civil rights activist Bernadette McAliskey were in attendance.