Queer Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London's Fierce History

by Dan Glass

‘A love letter to queer London which reminds us that although we’re not always in the mainstream telling of history, we have always been here’-- Nathaniel Hall, playwright, and actor in It’s A Sin
 
‘Dan Glass is London’s unofficial queer mayor’-- Peter Staley, HIV activist and author of Never Silent
 
‘Your back-pocket guide to our queer histories, full of joy and ammunition to claim our beautiful queer futures’ – Tash Walker, host of The Log Books podcast and co-chair of Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline

This ground-breaking guide will take you through the city streets to uncover the scandalous, hilarious, and empowering events of London’s queerstory. Follow in the footsteps of veteran activists, such as those who marched in London’s first Pride parade in 1972 or witnessed the 1999 bombing of the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho.

Accompanied by a chorus of voices of both iconic and unsung legends of the movement, readers can walk through parts of East, West, South, and North London, dipping into beautifully illustrated maps and extraordinary tales of LGBTQIA+ solidarity, protest, and pride. From the Brixton Faeries to Notting Hill Carnival to world-changing protests in Trafalgar Square, Rebel Dykes to drag queen communes, Queer Footprints celebrates the hidden histories of struggle and joy. Includes an accessibility guide and a list of queer spaces, clubs, networks, and resources.

Dan Glass is a healthcare and human rights activist, performer, presenter, writer, and author of United Queerdom. He was named a ‘BBC Greater Londoner’ for founding Queer Tours of London. Illustrations by Mark Glasgow.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, London, History, Historical

368 pages, Paperback

Published May 20, 2023

Reviews

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been trying to tie up all my loose ends reading wise and finish books that have been on my currently reading list for a while. This offering by Dan Glass is one of them.

If I'm truthful this book was basically a gimmick, a different way to look at the history of LGBTQi+ via prominent (and some not so prominent) places in London. Glass does a fairly good job but the style of writing is repetitive and one entry soon runs into another, resulting in what feels like a reading loop.

I'm thinking this book would be well suited to very young LGBTQi+ readers with no knowledge of London's queer history or rights. As for me, I feel like I've read much of this before in differing formats elsewhere so I'm going to donate this to my local library in the hope a younger reader might get more out of it than me.

[Rob Noon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Levy queer book club read!

Enjoyed reading something a little different for a change of pace but overall Queer Footprints fell flat for me. I think it naturally would have been more impactful if I had much of a connection to London as a city - I vaguely recognised maybe half of the locations in the book which made the journey feel somewhat jumbled.

I also can’t help but feel like it would have made a great coffee table book if reformatted to a nice chunky hardcover, incorporating more archive photography, pamphlets etc. as many sections kinda just felt like lists of names and things these various people did. I understand that’s what history is at its core but there’s gotta be a more gripping way to tell these stories!

Also absolutely minus 1 star for the use of sincere Harry Potter references followed with a one-liner “JK Rowling bad”. Stop letting Queen Terf rent space in your memory, please use other references or just completely ignore her work. Didn’t expect or want sincere “Dumbledore said gay rights actually <3” drivel in a recently published queer history book. Horrid!

2.5 stars

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book 4.5 stars. Some of the writing was unnecessarily wordy, and the format, while really creative, made it hard to follow. Some things were repeated so many times I found it a bit frustrating.

However, I found it fascinating overall, and if you’re interested in a queer history of London that isn’t a boring chronological telling, from only one perspective this is the book for you.

There are so many different facets of being queer, and I really appreciated the visibility of lesbian / trans / nonbinary activists. As a bisexual person, I did feel let down at some points due to the bi erasure in the book. There were very few mentions (if at all?) of bi folx.

I did find it positive that it was intersectional and international, discussing how the US freedom / queer movements spread to the UK.

Thanks for writing this!

[Christina Frøkjær · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read.
I adore London and have visited them multiple times.
Every part of the book is started with a map of the tour and that just made my day to see.
The history of being queer in London is beautiful and brutal and the author has done a wonderful job covering both.
I would absolutely recommend this book for all who have an interest in the great city and for those who like to walk through history.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Pluto Press for giving me access to this gem of a book for an honest review.

[fran ☻ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I’m joining the celebrations of Brighton pride next week to see MIKA perform, I thought it was a good time as an ally to learn more about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community within London - where I live. Combining my love for tours and my respect and wanted to be more educated, this was such an interesting read. Each chapter is focused on a part of London and different addresses and landmarks where historic events and notable people of the community resided. It’s told in such an entertaining but very informative way that I just really couldn’t put it down.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute tour de force. A landmark work that will stand the test of time in my view. Well recommended

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content itself was really good but was this even proofed? I found over 30 errors and mistakes to the point where it was just distracting

[Daren Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

No stranger to research myself, the weeks and months @danglassmincer must have spent pouring over the gay archives of @bishopsgateinstitute alone must surely put him in line for a pink plaque himself. A city that is too big to ‘really know’ more than the places we lived and worked, in Queer Foot Prints, Dan has managed to do something few Londoners manage; traverse all four corners of our sprawling metropolis. Some of the streets I walked on, dancefloors I pounded and bars I propped up in the quarter century I lived there, get a mention or two in the sections on Soho, Westminster, Brixton, King’s Cross, Earl’s Court and Vauxhall. But far more than this, Dan’s hard work has uncovered fierce queer histories of people and organisations from marginalised sections of the rainbow family often overlooked by similar tomes on the queer history of the city - going back far further than the relatively short period that I called it home. Part historical record, part guide book, Queer Foot Prints certainly makes me want to discover parts of the city that were rarely on my well-worn paths - and to re-evaluate those postcodes where I trod most often. Thank you Dan for (no doubt) months of reading and interviewing. Now where do you want your pink plaque?

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book covering a broad range of public history in London, specifically focusing on the queer aspects. The book is designed to accompany walks around London boroughs, providing the queer history of specific streets and buildings as you go. It has been written in such a way that means you can also read it from home (as I did this time around), and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Definitely looking forward to doing a few of the walks in the book once I've finished my degree though...

Also much love for the resources listed at the end. Excited to visit the queer bookshops mentioned that I haven't yet been to, and to use the 40 page source list as a reading list for the future :)!

[El Amethyst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This right here… it is a must read!!

The herstory we were never taught!!

The stories we should be hearing.

In a time full of hatred this is a beautiful collection of voices speaking of hope love solidarity and PEOPLE POWER!

Stop falling into the patriarchal misogynistic capitalist trap of hating each other!! It is keeping us all in our place. Turn that hate into fight, take back the power and bring down the true cause of all these issues in solidarity.

Honour those activists who fought and died for our rights we take for granted as we fight amongst ourselves, slowly watching the system stripping those hard fought for rights away one by one!

This is a must read for everyone

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and unusual history of London that tells how hard being queer was. I learned a lot and liked this well researched and well written book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Joel Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible dive into Queer history that has got me excited to learn more about the Queer footprints here in Manchester

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

London’s queerstory

[Mattat Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most grounding, empowering, and accessible collection of queer history I've ever encountered!