Not Guilty: Queer Stories from a Century of Discrimination

by Sue Elliott, Steve Humphries

Only fifty years ago, sex between men was a crime. The Sexual Offences Act 1967 changed that in part, sparking a chain of social reforms that altered the face of British society for ever. But it was only the beginning of the long fight for equality in the eyes of the law, in society and in millions of private lives. This vital new oral history - to accompany a Channel 4 documentary of the same name – tells that story through the lives of gay men who lived through those years. Built around the intimate testimonies of some exceptional but largely unknown characters, it gives voice to previously untold stories of denial, deceit and subterfuge, public pain and secret pleasure through the ten tumultuous decades before and since that watershed Act. The human variety of gay experience is all lives lived in joyous defiance of the law and a repressive society; others always in fear of a prurient tabloid press. Those committed to love and others to lifelong affairs alongside casual sex. Young gay men may now take for granted the equal treatment denied those who went before. This vibrant celebration of past achievements and hardwon freedoms offers a powerful reminder of how much has changed in the past fifty years, and a warning that hard-won freedoms can so easily be eroded in uncertain times.

413 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2017

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Guilty is an interesting read if you are not familiar with queer history in Britain. I enjoyed the testimonies in this book, and it covers a comprehensive time period. However, it does have a very journalistic approach which at times takes away from the emotion of the testimonies of the interviewees.

Additionally, Not Guilty falls into the same traps as other books of this genre and borders on judgemental when it comes to promiscuity within the queer community in the 70s & 80s, especially within the context of AIDS. It also tiptoes around more radical pride protests and the intersection of gay rights with anti-capitalism and anti-establishment movements. As this is a companion book to a Channel 4 documentary, I am assuming that the TV broadcasting rules have resulted in this 'not too far from impartial' line.

[Philip Meeks · Rating 2 out of 5]

All a bit dry