This morning I revelled in listening to an almost totally deadpan documentary in the BBCR4 "In Living Memory" series-- on the origins of the Section 28 legislation in the furore over the publication of "Jenny Lives with Eric & Martin". This hilarious bit of tendenz literatur was read aloud, complete with the bit where nice, liberal Mr Jones transformed the homophobia of his wife, grumpy Mrs Jones, to the gay male couple with daughter living next door by the simple expedient of explaining to her that he had once loved a man, but decided that he loved her better and married her. Don't try that one at home, folks.
Lots of choice little voiceovers from the veterans of the then Haringey Lesbian & Gay Unit, staffed by some of the most grotesque sexual revolutionaries of my then acquaintance,
a couple of whom appear in the equally wonderful documentary on the seventies/early eighties Angry Wimmin of the clip above.
Today's programme included a priceless soundbite from one of the more plausible of them, who got herself elected as a councillor in charge of running (and presumably playing some role in recruiting the staff of) the Lesbian & Gay Unit. She proclaimed that the opposition to the circulation of propaganda books about happy gay male couples bringing up daughters represented anxiety that if knowledge of gayness as a valid lifestyle became widespread, it would threaten the continuation of capitalism.....
These days she's Professor of Law & Social Theory at the Univ of Kent, publishing with CUP:
Tory grandees and foamers at the mouth were also given lots of past & present soundbites, the latter mostly shamefacedly recanting of their then attitudes.
You should be able to catch it up here
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