PARIS is to honour Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) founder member Mark Ashton, who paved the way for gay rights to be adopted by Britain’s trade unions.

[[{"fid":"4335","view_mode":"inlineright","fields":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mark Ashton in 1986 (pic: Johnny Orr/Creative Commons)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Mark Ashton in 1986 (pic: Johnny Orr/Creative Commons)","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"alt":"Mark Ashton in 1986 (pic: Johnny Orr/Creative Commons)","class":"media-element file-inlineright","data-delta":"1"}}]]The council of the French capital’s fourth arrondissement, a sector which includes the gay village Le Marais, is set to commemorate Mr Ashton as “a role model for young people” after Communist Party councillors proposed a street or public place be named after him.

The former general secretary of Britain’s Young Communist League played a key role in building support for Britain’s striking miners among the gay community during the 1984-1985 dispute.