Woman granted OBE for services to same-sex ballroom dancing | East London and West Essex Guardian Series

A woman has been named on the Queen’s New Year Honours List for her services to same-sex ballroom dancing.

Jacky Logan has been made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for in the 2020 New Year Honours List.

This is the first such honour bestowed upon someone for same-sex dancing.

Logan said: “This award completely took me by surprise. It’s amazing to think that 20 years ago, I witnessed two men being ejected from a dance hall for daring to dance together, and in 2020, Strictly Come Dancing is hopefully due to show a same-sex dance pair competing. This award recognises that achievement.”

The 64-year-old lives in Walthamstow with her wife and dance partner Mary.

Jacky Logan.

She first encountered same-sex dancing when she attended the LBGT Tea Dance at Stallions nightclub in central London in 1991.

She added: “In terms of equality, I believe ballroom dancing is a very visible way of showing the legitimacy of LGBTQI people expressing their feelings publicly through dance. The more people that see it, the more acceptable it becomes in society generally.”

In 1993, Logan won her first Latin title at the inaugural Dancerama same-sex dance competition at the Bell pub in King’s Cross, where she met Mary.

The pair formed a civil partnership and then married in 2018.

In 1996, Logan set up the Pink Jukebox, a ballroom and Latin dance club for lesbians and gay men and their friends, which is still running at Bishopsgate Institute.

Logan said: “The Pink Jukebox, the same-sex dance club that I helped establish, has provided a safe space over the past 22 years to enable this liberating interpretation of dance to grow. I am passionate about encouraging LGBTQI people and their friends to participate in same-sex social dancing, which brings a huge sense of belonging, and contributes enormously to the mental health of a community that constantly suffers from discrimination.”

The pair also established the Pink Jukebox Trophy: held annually at the Rivoli. It’s one of the most important same-sex dance events.

In 2006, she was a founding member and vice chair of the UK Same-Sex Dance Council (UKSSDC), and in 2007, she was a founding member and the first Secretary of the European Same-Sex Dancing Association (ESSDA).