November 07 - The 350th Issue
In 1984, I was 13 and, according to our very first issue: the Campaign for Homosexual Equality was calling for an end to soliciting laws, bookshop Gay’s the Word had just been raided by Customs officers, pretty policemen were on the prowl in cottages everywhere, Boy George and Culture Club were being banned from an American university while the staff and students decided whether they “promoted transvestism and homosexuality”, and Terry Sanderson was warning gay men against embracing American culture. Perhaps the strangest item is a description of a dinner party discussion about the use of toilet paper – the author describes himself as a scruncher rather than a folder. Strange days: 1984 – Sex Crimes indeed.
Well, 23 years on, much has changed, but there’s enough to make us feel at home: Terry Sanderson, one of the most respected gay commentators around, is still writing for us (Beyond Belief, p 103), Boy George was present and correct at the GALA Awards (p 66), Gay’s The Word is still doing business and the police are more likely to be helpful than flash a leg. To celebrate, we have a random and pretty daft 350-themed raffle – turn to page 84 to see if you can claim a prize.
I can’t tell you how pleased I am to introduce a new column this month – the delicious David Hoyle’s Debatables column. There’s never been an artiste like David, who had his own fabulously unique TV shows (inc The Divine David Presents) and is one of our best-loved cabaret performers. After a quiet patch, he’s just completed a triumphant set of shows, Magazine, at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. We’re privileged to have him write his first-ever column just for us: In Praise of British Porn, p 59.
On a more serious matter, journalist Mike Luongo has been in Iraq, meeting gay men through the gay underground (p 68). He writes a compelling account of his visit, illustrating the horrendous problems our Iraqi brothers are experiencing.
Here’s to the world keeping on changing for the better – for all of us.
Love, Love, Love