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The light of day: the moving true story of the first man to come out as gay

by Christopher Stephens, Louise Radnofsky

2026· 416 pages

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In June 1960, several British newspapers received a letter so shocking some thought it was a hoax. Beginning 'Sir, we are homosexuals', it was signed by Roger Butler and two others. Publishing such a letter seven years prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality was a radical and dangerous move. But it was a risk that marked a huge milestone in the fight for gay rights. By the 1970s, the Gay Liberation Front was calling on people to come out to help reduce stigma, and it continued to be a core tactic in the 80s and 90s. Roger, however, had done this a full decade earlier. This is the story about the first man to voluntarily come out in his own words, using his own name, to the entire British public.

Genres: History
Language: English
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 9781035421541