Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Coming Out


Coming Out (1977) was one of the key gay texts of the 1970s. In his book leftist author Jeffrey Weeks charted the emergence of a modern homosexual consciousness as not just a personal process but an historic one. Thus the history of homosexual politics in Britain from the nineteenth century to the present day is thoroughly examined. Topics range from the trial of Oscar Wilde to homosexual slang to the Gay Liberation Front and so much more. Although an academic text Coming Out is a very accessible read and of interest whether you are gay or not. Obviously the gay political landscape has changed dramatically since HIV/AIDS was first clinically detected in 1981 but Weeks's book remains a valuable historical source. The author was born and educated in the Rhondda. His other works include: Sex, Politics and Society (1981), Sexuality and its Discontents (1985) and Invented Moralities (1995).