Blowing the Lid: Gay Liberation, Sexual Revolution and Radical Queens

by Stuart Feather

The Gay Liberation Front founded in 1970 urged gay men and gay women to unite around a simple set of demands among which were calls for an end to discrimination against homosexuals in employment, in sex education, in the age of consent and in being treated as sick by the medical establishment. GLF saw itself as a people’s movement for gays, socialist by virtue of its demand for social change, and revolutionary in recognizing the rights of other oppressed minorities to determine the fight for their own demands. All history is personal. The author of this political memoir is the first participant of the Front to write a history of the lesbians and gay men who joined Gay Liberation and through a process of Coming Out and radicalization initiated an anarchic campaign that permanently changed the face of this country.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction

576 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2016

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stuart Feather lived through the Gay Liberation movement in London, and was actively involved (and is still actively involved, today) in advocating for the rights and freedoms of Gay individuals, and recalling LGBTQ+ history. His words and experience are invaluable insight into the history of lgbtq+ rights, and the lives of individuals whose voices are often erased from history, or at the very least, heavily edited.

Was introduced to Stuart Feather through taking a humanities capstone with my university, and was able to meet him in person, which definitely influenced my perception of his voice in his writing.
Bought at Gay's The Word independent bookstore in London.

[Stephen Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute fabulous book. Well researched, beautifully written and a vitally important historical account of gay liberation in the UK.