Scotsgayarts.com is deeply saddened to learn of the death of the great Tony Challis at the age of 80 at his home in Nottingham. Tony was a long-term contributor to our predecessor Scotsgay Magazine and was a respected reviewer of nearly 20 years’ service to SGFringe.com writing close to 1000 reviews for the site and the hard copy magazine all of which explored LGBTQIA+ Themes.
Scotsgay magazines former editor Taylor Hunter spoke to Scotsgay Arts saying, “Tony Challis was far more than a reviewer, to me he was a mentor, a champion of the arts and a passionate advocate for Scotland’s LGBT community.”
“When I took the reigns as Editor of Scotsgay magazine, Tony was already a respected and long serving writer renowned for his Edinburgh Fringe reviews of Gay focused performances. He welcomed me with generosity, offering advice, encouragement and the benefit of his experience at a time it was needed most.”
“Beyond Journalism, Tony Played an instrumental role in the development of the Scotsgay Awards, Tony highlighted excellence in the arts and several of the productions he gave awards too would develop into both West End transfer’s and National UK Tours. Tony’s legacy will live on through the artists whose work he championed and the wider community he helped strengthen in a plethora of ways, Rest in Peace Tony”
Tony Challis was also a lifelong humanist alongside being a former wedding celebrant, he was a passionate and dedicated gay rights pioneer and a published poet. A warm, passionate, and steadfast activist, Tony spent over half a century fighting for equality. He was a long-time supporter of Humanists UK and a co-founder of LGBT+ Humanists.
Tony’s journey in activism began in the early 1970s. After becoming involved with the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE), he joined the Bath Gay Awareness Group in 1972. He was among the brave cohort who marched in London’s second-ever Pride march in 1973. Speaking on a recorded oral history interview for the Humanist Heritage project, Tony recalled:
“I went on the [Pride] march in ’73, which was only the second London one. And at that time, it was much smaller, and you had police all the way along both sides, and you did have people, both National Front types and religious extremists, sort of abusing you and shouting at you.”
For the last 36 years Tony called Nottingham his home having moved there in 1990. He would continue to make his annual pilgrimage to Edinburgh every August writing for Scotsgay Magazine, SGfringe.com and latterly Broadway Baby but Nottingham was always home where he founded Pink Ink, a gay writing group that nurtured local creative talent. He was a dedicated poet, which culminated in the publication of his debut chapbook, Rainbow Candles, by Five Leaves in 2025. His poetry reflected on his life as a gay man during eras of profound social change with a trademark wit, optimism and hope.
Tony Challis was a joy to know, to work with and leaves a legacy of love for both the written word and the arts. He is indeed one of the giant’s today’s LGBTQIA+ community stands on the shoulders of. We are all better for having known Tony and Scotsgayarts.com sends our love to his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace.
ScotsGay Arts 