Gay Left was a collective of gay men and a journal of the same name which they published every six months in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
between the years 1975 and 1980. It was formed after the dissolution of the
Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK and Canada. The GLF provided a ...
(GLF) and the
Gay Marxist Group.
Gay Left formed out of a reading group made up of members of the defunct Gay Marxist group.
Its goal was to contribute towards a
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
analysis of homosexual oppression and to encourage in the gay movement an understanding of the links between the struggle against sexual oppression and the struggle for socialism.
The journal ''Gay Left'' initially described itself as "A Socialist Journal Produced by Gay Men", which evolved into "A Gay Socialist Journal" by the magazine's end, reflecting the internal debates that ran throughout Gay Left's life between the collective and lesbians who, though none ever joined the collective, frequently contributed articles.
The Collective
In all a total of fifteen gay men became part of the collective at one point or another, with nine members at the start and nearly half of them forming part of the final eight.
The group met on alternate Fridays and Sundays from 1974 until 1980. As well as editorial planning, the members also wrote a collective statement keynoting each issue. The collective espoused radical leftist politics, influenced by thinkers such as
Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Francesco Gramsci ( , , ; 22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosopher, journalist, linguist, writer, and politician. He wrote on philosophy, political theory, sociology, history, and linguistics. He was a ...
,
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...
and
Michel Foucault
Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and how ...
, and by the successes of the gay rights and feminist movements.
Journal
The journal published by the collective, ''Gay Left'', combined theoretical articles with reviews and political reports.
Alongside more historical articles like 'Where Engels Feared to Tread' (GL 1), which traced the evolution of Marxist attitudes towards sexuality and gender, were articles on struggles in the workplace like 'Gays and Trade Unions' (GL 1), 'The Gay Workers' Movement' (GL 2), 'All Worked UP' (GL 3), 'Gays at Work' (GL 6 and 7), and 'Work Place Politics: Gay Politics' (GL 10); and pieces on the attitudes of leftist organisations towards the gay issue, such as 'A Grim Tale', about the International Socialists' Gay Group (GL 3) or 'Communists' Comment' (GL 4).
Gay Left was also a leader in exploring gay culture in its broadest sense. Gays in film formed a continuous theme following a ground- breaking article by
Richard Dyer
Richard Dyer (born 1945) is an English academic who held a professorship in the Department of Film Studies at King's College London. Specialising in cinema (particularly Italian cinema), queer theory, and the relationship between entertainment ...
in GL 2, with regular reviews (for example, of
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement.
Fassbinder's main ...
(GL 2)), and coverage of Ron Peck's attempts to make his film, ''
Nighthawks'' (Peck was then a member of the collective and other members were involved in the film making). Andrew Britton challenged 'Camp' (GL 6), and there were pioneering articles on 'Gay Art', the gay singer,
Tom Robinson
Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson ...
and the theatre group Gay Sweatshop (GL 7). Richard Dyer's article 'In Defence of Disco' (GL 8) was one of the first to take
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
seriously as an expression of the new gay consciousness. Mandy Merck explored Gays on TV in GL 10 at the start of what proved to be a revolution in the ways in which lesbians and gays were represented.
Contributors
Gay Left's contributors included many experienced activists, particularly in the field of feminism, education and workplace politics.
Other activities
Gay Left organised a conference in London in July 1977 titled "What is to Be Done?" (possibly after the famous
pamphlet of the same name by
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
) and edited and wrote chapters for a book published by
Allison and Busby in 1980 titled ''Homosexuality, Power and Politics''. The book was re-published by Verso in October 2018. https://www.versobooks.com/books/2895-homosexuality .
See also
*
List of fictional gay characters
*
LGBT social movements
*
1970s in LGBT rights This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the 1970s.
Background
Private, consensual same-sex activity was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967. Most same-sex activity was legalized in Canada in 1969. ...
*
LGBT rights by country or territory
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 33 ...
*
Socialism and LGBT rights
The connection between left-leaning ideologies and LGBT rights struggles has a long and mixed history. Prominent socialists who were involved in early struggles for LGBT rights include Edward Carpenter, Oscar Wilde, Harry Hay, Bayard Rustin, E ...
References
External links
Gay Left''The Politics of Homosexuality''
{{LGBT topics in the United Kingdom
1975 establishments in England
1980 disestablishments in England
Gay men's magazines published in the United Kingdom
Cultural magazines published in the United Kingdom
Defunct political magazines published in the United Kingdom
LGBT collectives
LGBT culture in London
Defunct LGBT organisations in the United Kingdom
LGBT socialism
Magazines published in London
Magazines established in 1975
Magazines disestablished in 1980
Marxist magazines
Organizations established in 1975
Organizations disestablished in 1980
Socialism in England
Socialist magazines