Bad Gays

Too many popular histories seek to establish heroes, pioneers and martyrs. However, as Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller argue, the past is filled with queer people whose sexualities and/or dastardly deeds have been overlooked. We all remember Oscar Wilde, but who speaks for Bosie? What about those 'bad gays' whose un-exemplary lives reveal more than we might expect?

Part-revisionist history, part-historical biography, and based on the hugely popular podcast series, Bad Gays subverts the notion of gay icons and queer heroes. It asks what we can learn about LGBTQ history, sexuality, and identity through its villains and baddies. From the Emperor Hadrian to notorious gangster Ronnie Kray, the authors excavate the buried history of queer lives. This includes fascist thugs, famous artists, austere puritans, debauched bon viveurs, Imperialists, G-men, and architects. Together, these amazing life stories expand and challenge the mainstream assumptions of sexual identity.

They show that homosexuality itself was an idea that emerged in the nineteenth century, and its interpretation has been central to major historical moments of conflict, from the ruptures of the Weimar Republic to red-baiting in Cold War America.

Amusing, disturbing, and fascinating, Bad Gays puts centre stage the queer villains and evil twinks in history.