Straight Jacket
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
'This is an essential read for every gay person on the planet' - Elton John
'A really brilliant and moving read for everybody, especially LGBTQI+ people' - Olly Alexander, star of It's A Sin
Straight Jacket is a revolutionary clarion call for gay men, the wider LGBT community, their friends and family. Part memoir, part ground-breaking polemic, it looks beneath the shiny facade of contemporary gay culture and asks if gay people are as happy as they could be - and if not, why not?
Meticulously researched, courageous and life-affirming, Straight Jacket offers invaluable practical advice on how to overcome a range of difficult issues. It also recognizes that this is a watershed moment, a piercing wake-up-call-to-arms for the gay and wider community to acknowledge the importance of supporting all young people - and helping older people to transform their experience and finally get the lives they really want.
WINNER BOYZ BEST LGBT BOOK 2017
SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI BOOK PRIZE 2017
'Insightful, inclusive, clever and engaging' - Jeremy Langmead
'Utterly brilliant' - The Guardian
Customer Reviews
A far better and more accessible take on Velvet Rage
I came to this book, feeling incredibly disappointed in ‘The Velvet Rage’. As an ‘elder’ millennial who lived their formative years in the UK, I found Velvet Rage out of touch, and incredibly unfulfilling.
In looking for more relevant alternatives for one wanting to figure out their place within the gay community, I came across a recommendation for ‘Straight Jacket’.
For the most part, I found it to be an enjoyable and informative read, though I found the second half of the book’s (understandable) focus on finding ways past various addictions did not resonate with my experience.
The first half’s succinct examination of LGBT rights and life in the 20th century (including the huge impact of Section 28 — which I had not realised had actually affected me far more than I knew) was fascinating, and the stories of how those hidden influences would and still do affect young and questioning LGBT folks was galvanising and informative.
Whilst the second half of the book didn’t really apply to my experiences at all, for those who may be struggling with addictions, it could offer the kick-start and resources needed to begin the path to recovery.
I was disappointed to find that the promised ‘solutions’ to improving LGBT culture in the UK amounted to little more than a manifesto, with little if any teeth behind it to actually provide routes to action.
All in all, a worthwhile read, though one that may offer drastically different experiences to readers.