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Announcing the arrival of a major new talent, an astonishing work of social history which captures Black gay Britain in inimitable detail.
In this landmark work, Jason Okundaye meets an elder generation of Black gay men and finds a spirited community full of courage, charisma and good humour, hungry to tell its past - of nightlife, resistance, political fights, loss, gossip, sex, romance and vulgarity. Through their conversations he seeks to reconcile the Black and gay narratives of Britain, narratives frequently cleaved as distinct and unrelated.
Tracing these men's journeys and arrivals to South London through the seventies, eighties and nineties from the present day, Okundaye relays their stories with rare compassion, listening as they share intimate memories and reflect upon their lives. They endured and fought against the peak of the AIDS epidemic, built social groups and threw underground parties; they went to war with institutions (and with each other) and created meaning within a society which was often indifferent to their existence.
Revolutionary Acts renders a singular portrait of Britain from the perspective of those buffeted by the winds of marginalisation and discrimination. It is a portrait marked by resilience and self-determination, inspired by the love and beauty Black men have found in each other.
Tracing these men's journeys and arrivals to South London through the seventies, eighties and nineties from the present day, Okundaye relays their stories with rare compassion, listening as they share intimate memories and reflect upon their lives. They endured and fought against the peak of the AIDS epidemic, built social groups and threw underground parties; they went to war with institutions (and with each other) and created meaning within a society which was often indifferent to their existence.
Revolutionary Acts renders a singular portrait of Britain from the perspective of those buffeted by the winds of marginalisation and discrimination. It is a portrait marked by resilience and self-determination, inspired by the love and beauty Black men have found in each other.
Author: Jason Okundaye
Hardback Published 21 May 2024 304 pages
The seven Black gay men of this radical oral history have continuously shown up for us, highlighting the nuances of race, class and desire that reverberate through every "progress" motion, while giving us juicy dialogue, tears and laughter, and vivid landscapes of memory . . . this seminal book hands them the flowers they deserve.' PAUL MENDEZ, author of Rainbow Milk
'Okundaye has done something extraordinary and made this work of vital social history seem like a late night, electrifying conversation between good friends . . . [he] generously allows the reader to discover these lives as they were actually lived: thrilling and furious, sexy and scandalous.' SHON FAYE, author of The Transgender Issue
'Okundaye has done something extraordinary and made this work of vital social history seem like a late night, electrifying conversation between good friends . . . [he] generously allows the reader to discover these lives as they were actually lived: thrilling and furious, sexy and scandalous.' SHON FAYE, author of The Transgender Issue