Queer Beyond London

by Matt Cook, Alison Oram

When it comes to queer British history, London has stolen the limelight. But what about the millions of queer lives lived elsewhere? In Queer beyond London, two leading LGBTQ+ historians take you on a journey through four English cites from the sixties to the noughties, exploring the northern post-industrial heartlands and taking in the salty air of the seaside cities of the South. Covering the bohemian, artsy world of Brighton, the semi-hidden queer life of military Plymouth, the lesbian activism of Leeds, and the cutting edge dance and drag scenes of Manchester, they show how local people, places and politics shaped LGBTQ+ life in each city, forging vibrant and distinctive queer cultures of their own. Using pioneering community histories from each place, and including the voices of queer people who have made their lives there, the book tells local stories at the heart of our national history.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction, Queer

288 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2022

About the author

Matt Cook is Professor of Modern History at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. He is the author of Queer Domesticities: Homosexuality and Home Life in 20th-Century London (2014) and London and the Culture of Homosexuality, 1885-1914 (2003).

Reviews

[Milk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a queer person from the north east of England, looking for representation of a queer history beyond London. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a national history and focused only on 4 places, 2 of which feel London adjacent in terms of queer resources. However, it was a nice surprise to read about the nuance of each locality and I particularly enjoyed the focus on local politics and government as well as housing. You don't often get that kind of lense for queer experiences. The photos were excellent, as were the quotes. It was really rich in varied testimony. The writing was a little repetitive and at times I felt the info was conveyed in a really long winded way. Overall I did enjoy the read and it inspired lots of reflection personally. It was an accessible look into an oft neglected part of queer history. We just need more of it, please!