Iona McGregor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1929 Aldershot, Hampshire |
| Died | 14 March 2021 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary |
| Occupation | Author |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | Morrison’s Academy for Girls, Crieff
Bury Convent High School Monmouth School for Girls |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol |
| Relatives | Ailsa Allaby (sister), Masry Prince (sister) |
Iona McGregor (1929 – 14 March 2021) was a Scottish author and teacher best known for her written work and her contributions to gay rights activism, especially from the 1970's onwards.[1][2][3] She worked with the Scottish Minorities Group in Glasgow (and later in Edinburgh) to help create safe social spaces for women, and to develop the Edinburgh Befriending Service for people who were members of the LGBT community (which later became the Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard).[1][3] In later life, she was an active member of Edinburgh U3A.[1] She was a full time teacher, and so had to keep her activism work and personal life a secret in order to avoid losing her job. She was a member of the Scottish PEN and wrote novels and non-fiction, especially about Scottish history.[1]
After she retired from teaching, she began to write about topics that she had not been able to previously, due to their taboo nature; such as her 1989 novel Death Wore A Diadem, a mystery novel which features lesbian romance.[1]