Bad Gays A Homosexual History

History oftentimes focuses only on the good and brave heroes and pioneers, but what about the 'bad gays' in history? Huw Lemmy and Ben Miller have a podcast with the same title, where they talk about the deeds of the bad gays. They focus on gay icons and queer heroes and ask what we can learn about LGBTQIA+ history, sexuality and identity through its villains and baddies.

Most people know at least one or two “good” or “heroic” queer historical figures. No matter if Oscar Wilde, Achilles, Marsha P. Johnson oder Frida Kahlo. “Bad Gays” is the book version of a podcast that dedicates each episode to one of the opposite section, the “bad” queers of history. The truly evil and morally questionable. As someone who loves to read about the LGBTQ+ community during different eras and how our realities looked back in the day, I devoured this book! It’s a collection of 14 of such little life stories and told me of people I wish I’d heard of before. “Bad Gays” contains information on everyone, form british monarchs to german emperors, spies and the conservative lover who ruined Oscar Wilde’s life. A must-read for every queer history nerd!