It's a sin: Queer British History, Our Stories
Mairi
Like many in the community, I stayed up into the wee hours watching, and sobbing, though It’s a Sin. The intimate, joyful, heartbreaking TV portrayal of the AIDS and HIV epidemic in 1980s London, as experienced by one group of friends, and based on true stories. Screen celebrations of the queer community have a powerful cultural impact - shows like Pose have opened so many doors to LGBTQ history, and community.
Like any historical TV drama, It's A Sin is imperfect - some glaring omissions (such as fact not a single HIV positive woman featured, and there was next to no trans representation ) are upsetting. But I hope that like Pride before it, the show will make room for new conversations about Britain's queer history, forgotten chapters, and enduring trauma.
I hope it makes space for reflection on persistent prejudice and stigma. I hope it hold up a mirror to anti-trans activists inflicting on our trans siblings the lies used to persecute and stigmatize the gay community: that they are would-be sexual predators, deviants, unnatural and immoral, perverts.
These scenes were lived by many in our community, survived by our community- we see you, we love you.
If, like me, you want to spend a little more time in our history, here's a little further reading. And of course, do stay informed on where we are now - HIV Scotland for instance, have loads of resources!
Through LGBT History Month (Feb) we donated 10% of sales from this category to HIV Scotland, please consider supporting them directly too.
And on March 11th we celebrated Gay Bars at a virtual launch of Jeremy Atherton Lin's Gay Bar hosted by Bob Orr, co-founder of Lavender Menace - Scotland's original LGBT Bookshop.
Linked Books
![Image for Good As You : From Prejudice to Pride - 30 Years of Gay Britain](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817850/9781785032936.jpg)
- title
- Good As You : From Prejudice to Pride - 30 Years of Gay Britain
- author
- Flynn, Paul
![Image for How to Survive a Plague : The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97815098/9781509839407.jpg)
- title
- How to Survive a Plague : The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS
- author
- France, David
![Image for Against The Law](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97814746/9781474612524.jpg)
- title
- Against The Law
- author
- Wildeblood, Peter
![Image for Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide : A graphic guide to lesbian and queer history 1950-2020](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97809935/9780993563348.jpg)
- title
- Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide : A graphic guide to lesbian and queer history 1950-2020
- author
- Charlesworth, Kate
![Image for A Nazi Word For A Nazi Thing](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97819135/9781913512026.jpg)
- title
- A Nazi Word For A Nazi Thing
- author
- Mayer, So
![Image for Out of the Shadows : The Psychology of Gay Men's Lives](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97801419/9780141990149.jpg)
- title
- Out of the Shadows : The Psychology of Gay Men's Lives
- author
- Odets, Walt
![Image for Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS : A memoir](https://jackets.dmmserver.com/media/356/97817867/9781786784964.jpg)
- title
- Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS : A memoir
- author
- Derek Frost
![Image for Queer: A Graphic History](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817857/9781785780714.jpg)
- title
- Queer: A Graphic History
- author
- Barker, Meg-John, Scheele, Jules
![Image for Rainbow City : Stories from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Edinburgh](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97809549/9780954918538.jpg)
- title
- Rainbow City : Stories from Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Edinburgh
- author
- Galford, Ellen, Wilson, Ken
![Image for Queer : A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817895/9781789542349.jpg)
- title
- Queer : A Collection of LGBTQ Writing from Ancient Times to Yesterday
- author
- Wynne, Frank
![Image for Queer Intentions : A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ + Culture](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97815098/9781509866175.jpg)
- title
- Queer Intentions : A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ + Culture
- author
- Abraham, Amelia
![Image for Love from the Pink Palace : Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret through the AIDS Crisis](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97814722/9781472288431.jpg)
- title
- Love from the Pink Palace : Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret through the AIDS Crisis
- author
- Nalder, Jill
![Image for Fabulosa! : The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817891/9781789142945.jpg)
- title
- Fabulosa! : The Story of Polari, Britain's Secret Gay Language
- author
- Baker, Paul
![Image for One of Them : From Albert Square to Parliament Square](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97815266/9781526612366.jpg)
- title
- One of Them : From Albert Square to Parliament Square
- author
- Cashman, Michael
![Image for Coming Out Stories : Personal Experiences of Coming out from Across the Lgbtq+ Spectrum](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817877/9781787754959.jpg)
- title
- Coming Out Stories : Personal Experiences of Coming out from Across the Lgbtq+ Spectrum
- author
- Goswell, Emma, Walker, Sam, MBE, Tim Sigsworth
![Image for Maggie & Me](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97814088/9781408838099.jpg)
- title
- Maggie & Me
- author
- Barr, Damian
![Image for United Queerdom : From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817869/9781786998767.jpg)
- title
- United Queerdom : From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow
- author
- Glass, Dan
![Image for And the Band Played On : Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817881/9781788167734.jpg)
- title
- And the Band Played On : Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic
- author
- Shilts, Randy
![Image for Derek Jarman: Protest!](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97805009/9780500971086.jpg)
- title
- Derek Jarman: Protest!
- author
- Kissane, Sean, Rehmani-White, Karim
![Image for The Pink Line : The World's Queer Frontiers](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817881/9781788165150.jpg)
- title
- The Pink Line : The World's Queer Frontiers
- author
- Gevisser, Mark
![Image for Trans Power : Own Your Gender](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817877/9781787750197.jpg)
- title
- Trans Power : Own Your Gender
- author
- Roche, Juno
![Image for Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97801411/9780141187129.jpg)
- title
- Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors
- author
- Sontag, Susan
![Image for Rainbow Milk](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97803497/9780349700588.jpg)
- title
- Rainbow Milk
- author
- Mendez, Paul
![Image for People in Trouble](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97815291/9781529111361.jpg)
- title
- People in Trouble
- author
- Schulman, Sarah
![Image for Angels in America (new edition)](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97818484/9781848426313.jpg)
- title
- Angels in America (new edition)
- author
- Kushner, Tony
![Image for Full Disclosure](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97802413/9780241367063.jpg)
- title
- Full Disclosure
- author
- Garrett, Camryn
![Image for The Great Believers](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97807088/9780708899120.jpg)
- title
- The Great Believers
- author
- Makkai, Rebecca
![Image for Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97802260/9780226063959.jpg)
- title
- Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic
- author
- McKay, Richard A.
![Image for Heaven's Coast : A Memoir](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97800997/9780099731610.jpg)
- title
- Heaven's Coast : A Memoir
- author
- Doty, Mark
![Image for The Origins of AIDS](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97811087/9781108720397.jpg)
- title
- The Origins of AIDS
- author
- Pepin, Jacques (Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada)
![Image for This Island's Mine](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817868/9781786827548.jpg)
- title
- This Island's Mine
- author
- Osment, Philip (Author)
![Image for Gay Bar : Why We Went Out](https://jackets.gardners.com/media/640/97817837/9781783785834.jpg)
- title
- Gay Bar : Why We Went Out
- author
- Atherton Lin, Jeremy