An unconventional history of homosexuality
We all remember Oscar Wilde, but who speaks for Bosie? What about
those ‘bad gays’ whose unexemplary lives reveal more than we
might expect? Many popular histories seek to establish homosexual
heroes, pioneers, and martyrs but, as Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller
argue, the past is filled with queer people whose sexualities and
dastardly deeds have been overlooked despite their being informative
and instructive.
Based on the hugely popular podcast series of the same name, Bad
Gays asks what we can learn about LGBTQ+ history, sexuality and
identity through its villains, failures, and baddies. With characters
such as the Emperor Hadrian, anthropologist Margaret Mead and
notorious gangster Ronnie Kray, the authors tell the story of how the
figure of the white gay man was born, and how he failed. They examine
a cast of kings, fascist thugs, artists and debauched bon viveurs.
Imperial-era figures Lawrence of Arabia and Roger Casement get a
look-in, as do FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover, lawyer Roy Cohn, and
architect Philip Johnson.
Together these amazing life stories expand and challenge mainstream
assumptions about sexual identity: showing that homosexuality itself
was an idea that emerged in the nineteenth century, one central to
major historical events.
Bad Gays is a passionate argument for rethinking gay politics
beyond questions of identity, compelling readers to search for
solidarity across boundaries.