Untitled #7 from the series 'Pretended' Family Relationships

Sunil Gupta’s series ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships (1988) consists of three-part photo-collages pairing colour portraits of interracial same-sex couples with lines of poetry by Gupta’s then partner Stephen Dodd and fragments of imagery taken at political protests against Clause 28. The title of the series is a reference to Thatcher’s controversial Clause 28, which prohibited local authorities from promoting “the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. This troubling clause had a far-reaching impact on LGBTQ communities from 1988 until its repeal in 2003, effectively legitimising homophobia, discrimination and marginalisation.