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Ebury Press has acquired Good As You: From Prejudice to Pride, 30 Years Of Gay Britain by Paul Flynn, documenting the long road to gay equality.
The book, due to publish on 27th April, charts the story of British gay men and of gay pop culture over the past 30 years via the milestones that have effected change and acceptance, from Manchester’s self-selection as Britain’s gay capital to the real-time romance of Elton John and David Furnish. It includes candid interviews from other "major protagonists", like Kylie, Russell T Davies, Will Young, Holly Johnson and Lord Chris Smith, as well as relatively unknown individuals who were crucial to the gay community, together fighting for equality both front of stage and in the wings.
According to Ebury, the book is "the story of Britain’s brothers, cousins and sons. Sometimes it is the story of their fathers and husbands. It is one of public outrage and personal loss, (not always legal) highs and the desperate lows, and a final collective victory as gay men were to be finally recognised, Good As You".
The deal for world all language rights was done by Andrew Goodfellow, Ebury Press deputy publisher and Eugenie Furniss at Furniss Lawton.
Flynn, based in London, has worked as a journalist for 23 years. He began writing at City Life magazine in Manchester and is currently the senior contributing editor at Love, features director at Man About Town and a columnist for Attitude and Grazia. He has previously been a contributing editor and writer at i-D, Pop, Dazed, Fantastic Man, The Gentlewoman and GQ Style and has written for the Guardian and Observer, Sunday Express and the Sunday Times newspapers.
He said: "When the final piece of equality statute for gay men passed through parliament in 2014, I had an idea about tracing the road to British equality through its pop culture. A timeline appeared from 'Smalltown Boy' to Same Sex Marriage, that macrocosmic shift in the country which reflected the personal journey of so many gay men’s lives.
"With Good As You I became determined to reframe the story of British gay men and their pop culture during the last thirty-something years from one of derision, scorn and prejudice to ebullience, joy and celebration, to wrestle back gay men from victimhood and recognise their heroism. Because that is what I’ve seen during that time, at first hand."
Goodfellow, deputy publisher, added: "Paul is one of those few cultural commentators – like Jon Savage and Caitlin Moran - that can fuse pure entertainment and genuine insight in such a sparkling way. He’s written a brilliantly personal and sweeping story of Britain over the last 30 years that is so much more than just a gay history."
Good As You will be published by Ebury Press in hardback on 27th April 2017, priced £20.