25/09/2020
Will Young has been in our lives for around twenty years. The Pop Idol winner has come out in the public eye and has worked hard not just on his music, but for the wider LGBTQ community, founding the podcast HomoSapien, which is currently co-hosted by Scottish vegan actor Alan Cumming and always jam packed with exciting queer content. But like many people from our communities, Will has suffered his share of what psychologists call “internalised homophobia”, which as its name suggests, means how some of us take the negative stereotypes about our sexuality or gender identity that straight society throws at us, and how those negatives feed poor mental health, drug dependancy and other complications. As the early gay liberationists of the seventies noted, to truly liberate ourselves, we need to change our own consciousness and spiritual lives as well as legal obstacles to our freedom. Now, Will has written his own passionate call for the final end to gay shame. His deeply personal exploration of therapy, shame and liberation is available now from Ebury Press. If you're interested in getting hold of a copy, then Bristol's Waterstones has a gay and trans friendly vibe. However, if you're an online shopper, or in one of the towns that boasts a queer or LGBT+ friendly bookstore, then consider giving them a much needed boost. Gay's The Word in London, Category Is Bookstore in Glasgow, Lighthouse in Edinburgh, The Bookish Type in Leeds, Portal in York and News from Nowhere in Liverpool are amongst the non profit making enterprises that will be able to get the book for you. Do a search on line.
