-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
