Good as You From Prejudice to Pride: 30 Years of Gay Britain

by Flynn, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781785032936
• ISBN10: 1785032933
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2018-09-01
• Publisher: Ebury Press

Summary

‘One of the most important books about gay culture in recent times’ The Quietus

Long-listed for the Polari First Book Prize

In 1984 the pulsing electronics and soft vocals of Smalltown Boy would become an anthem uniting gay men. A month later, an aggressive virus, HIV, would be identified and a climate of panic and fear would spread across the nation, marginalising an already ostracised community. Yet, out of this terror would come tenderness and 30 years later, the long road to gay equality would climax with the passing of same sex marriage.

Paul Flynn charts this astonishing pop cultural and societal U-turn via the cultural milestones that effected change—from Manchester’s self-selection as Britain’s gay capital to the real-time romance of Elton John and David Furnish’s eventual marriage. Including candid interviews from major protagonists, such as Kylie, Russell T Davies, Will Young, Holly Johnson and Lord Chris Smith, as well as the relative unknowns crucial to the gay community, we see how an unlikely group of bedfellows fought for equality both front of stage and in the wings.

This is the story of Britain’s brothers, cousins and sons. Sometimes it is the story of their fathers and husbands. It is one of public outrage and personal loss, the (not always legal) highs and the desperate lows, and the final collective victory as gay men were final recognised, as Good As You.

Author Biography

Paul Flynn has worked as a journalist for the last 23 years. He began writing at City Life magazine and is currently the Senior Contributing Editor at Love, Features Director at Man About Town, and a columnist for Attitude and Grazia. He has previously been a contributing editor and writer at i-D, Pop, Dazed, Fantastic Man, The Gentlewoman, and GQ Style and has written for the Guardian, Observer, Sunday Express, and the Sunday Times newspapers.