THEGAYUK WINTER 13 /14 Issue 1
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IT’S OKAY TO BE GAY
BOOK REVIEW
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By Daniel Browne
It’s OK to be Gay is a brilliant new
book featuring the coming out tales
of a number of high profile
personalities. Edited by Alison
Stokes, The book has been created to
raise money for the charity Diversity
Role Models.
It’s OK to be Gay
contains the coming
out stories of a
diverse range of
LGB people. It
may have been too
easy for the book
to comprise of the
usual gay
celebrities telling
the same tales we
have heard many times
before. What the book
does is feature a number of
prominent LGB people who discuss
their sexuality, their coming out, and
how it has shaped their lives.
Read extracts
Online
At
THEGAYUK
The balance is just right; the tone is
frank and matter of a fact, but not in
a way that is shocking or headline
grabbing. It’s a collection of real
accounts that many readers will
relate to. There is something for
everyone.
The one story that stuck out for me
was that of the great Phyllis
Opoku-Gyimah, co-founder and
director of UK Black Pride. Many of
the stories show that coming out can
be a positive experience, but this
particular story shows that it is not
always plain sailing. There are some
of us who experience negative
reactions when coming out and
Phyllis’ story is a stark reminder
of that. It covers not only being a
lesbian, but also black and from a
religious household. However, it’s
not a story that focuses on the
doom and gloom, and Phyllis’
journey demonstrates that each
negative experience can be turned
into something wonderfully
positive.
Another story that drew my
particular attention was the
inclusion of the singer Diana
King. A long-time admirer of
Diana, having been brought
up on her music in my own
mixed race, multi-cultural
household, it was interesting
for this book to feature a coming out
story from someone who lives in a
country where being gay is not
widely accepted. In Jamaica there
is a real risk that LGB people can
be beaten or even killed because of
their sexuality. I feel it is of the
utmost importance that a book like
this covers cultural difficulties that
some LGB people can face, and it
achieves that with flying colours.
As a whole package, It’s OK to be
Gay covers all bases. The inspiring
people who have contributed their
stories come from all walks of life,
which ins