Gay in the 80s

by Colin Clews

The 1980s heralded many challenges for LGBT people around the world and Colin Clews examines these in his new book. These included the rise of the New Right in the USA, Section 28 which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality; the trial of Gay’s the Word bookshop in the UK and the continuing criminalisation of homosexuality in the majority of Australian states. Underpinning all of this was the unfolding of the AIDS crisis: a time when LGBT people realised that they were no longer simply fighting for their rights but, quite literally, fighting for their lives.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom; by the end of the eighties there had been some very real progress. Major political parties had LGBT rights in their manifestos, trades unions increasingly took up the cause and regional legislators introduced anti-discrimination laws and policies. LGBT people became more prolific in film, television, music and literature and the LGBT community grew significantly. The book also examines the dynamics behind these changes; some the result of prolonged campaigns, others stemming from the growing influence of the ‘pink pound/dollar’, others still a consequence of the growing anger at government intransigence to the AIDS crisis.

Gay in the 80s examines a number of the events and issues in the UK, USA and Australia, giving a comprehensive perspective of LGBT reality during this decade The book covers the broad political context of the 1980s and takes a comparative approach to events in the three countries where Colin either lived or spent large amounts of time.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction, History, Historical, Queer

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2017

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very frustrating book - some hugely important history recounted and some of the personal experiences are really affecting, especially the section covering the author’s time as a social worker in Australia. But it feels as if the author couldn’t decide if he was writing a personal memoir or historical overview and so ends up doing neither role justice. Similarly, the idea of covering the period and comparing and contrasting across the US, UK and Australia is a great idea but the level of detail for each country and each topic is very variable and often feels rushed. There’s very little analysis as to why approaches were different or what that meant. Finally there’s a lot of repetition and quite a few basic errors. Hopefully a second edition can be published which addresses some of these issues as there is some powerful elements in the book as it stands.

[Daren Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

GAY IN THE 80s: From fighting for Our Rights to Fighting for Our Lives by Colin Clews. Turns out you can judge a book by its cover! Well, sort of, because in addition to being an incredibly comprehensive account of all aspects of queer culture in that decade, it does so across the UK, the USA and Australia. An approach that I have not come across before, making it especially fascinating. But even more compelling than this is Clews’ inclusion of speeches and statements from key players during this period which, like Randy Shilt’s brilliant ‘And the Band Played On’ that I posted about last month, is a visceral reminder of the anger and fear felt by so many in the LGBTQ+ community during that decade.

[Marina Rehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of gay culture and HIV/AIDS in the 1980s

[Alyssa Lentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a little bit like reading someone's thesis and occasionally dry in places, but when it's about his personal experience, his writing is really engaging. Lots of good perspective on the AIDS epidemic especially. A good option if you're looking to start learning about AIDS or queerness in the 80s in general. Also loved the tidbits about Gay's the Word, since that's where I bought this book.

[Casey Browne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very frustrating book - some hugely important history recounted and some of the personal experiences are really affecting, especially the section covering the author’s time as a social worker in Australia. But it feels as if the author couldn’t decide if he was writing a personal memoir or historical overview and so ends up doing neither role justice. Similarly, the idea of covering the period and comparing and contrasting across the US, UK and Australia is a great idea. Still, each country's level of detail and each topic is very variable and often feels rushed. There’s very little analysis as to why approaches were different or what that meant. Finally, there’s a lot of repetition and quite a few basic errors.

Sometimes, a little bit like reading someone's thesis and occasionally dry in places, but his writing is really engaging when it's about his personal experience. Lots of good perspective on the AIDS epidemic, especially. It is a good option if you're looking to start learning about AIDS or queerness in the 80s in general.