Straight Jacket

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Standing up again and holding her arms out in front of her, Sally presented herself to her onlooking - and slightly bemused - accomplice.

Straight Jacket by Marcus Skinner | Goodreads Straight Jacket by Marcus Skinner | Goodreads

Matthew Todd is one of the UK's leading gay writers. He was the editor of the UK's bestselling gay magazine, Attitude, between 2008 and 2016 where he won three British Society of Magazine Editors Editor of the Year Awards, a Stonewall Journalist of the Year Award and was given the Freedom of the City of London. Prince William made history by sitting for the cover of Matthew's final issue as editor. Jenny raised her eyebrows and looked Amy up and down, as if trying to appraise whether her visitor was genuine, or if this whole thing was some kind of a wind-up. From Amy’s serious demeanour, she seemed to deduce the former. One of the best books we have ever read. Honest, thought provoking and much needed. Q Scene magazine From somewhere seemingly far away, her voice dulled by the masking rubber, Jenny explained how she envisioned the next few days unfolding.Another issue I had, somewhat related to the above, was the way Todd seemed to work to fit facts and ideas into his neat narrative. One particularly galling part was where he was dismissive of industries, art, and literature that have been traditionally popular with gay men. These include industries related to performance, theatre, glamour and artifice. He attempts to explain this away: I think our first response should be compassion. Todd litters his writing with heart-breaking stories. There are stories of people made and loved by God, people who bear God’s image, who have been made to feel that they are degenerate or disgusting. There are stories of people who have become trapped in dangerous and destructive practices in their desperate attempt to deal with the pain they carry. And there are stories of people for whom the pain became just too much and the only solution they could see was to opt out of life completely. This insight into the experience of some LGBT people should break our hearts and move us with compassion, just as Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw sorrow and suffering.

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While I think Matthew does a good job of describing some underlying problems and issues that a lot of LGBTQ+ people have due to being in the closet and being ashamed for a lot of our lives, he then seems to lose his way a bit when delving into more detailed information about addiction and recovery. These kinds of unfounded leaps are peppered throughout the book. Rather than adding a sheen of authority to Todd’s words, for me these kinds of assertions made me question whether I should continue reading the book at all. Alongside these, we should respond with care. Care is compassion put into action. Christians shouldn’t stand outside the LGBT community and look down on them in judgment. Rather, we should seek to step into that community and offer help, love, and care to those who are struggling. Sadly, Christians have often been part of the problem. Todd speaks very negatively of religion, and it is true that we have historically been among those who have told LGBT people that they are disgusting or degenerate. We have been part of the problem; now it’s time for us to be part of the solution. We have been part of the problem; now it’s time for us to be part of the solution. An honest insight into LGBTQ life that everybody should be enlightened about regardless of sexuality. Rylan Clark-NealNobody I know works harder than me. If I'm awake I'm working on SOMETHING. Everyone is like, How do you do it? Well, it's mostly because that's when I feel most alive, is when I'm putting myself to use, and I like to do it in various different capacities, often all at once. But is part of that a niggling, "See? See what a valuable member of society I am? What worth I have? What good I do, in spite of that aspect of me that you take issue with?" Yeah, I think it's a little implied. Why should I have to prove my worth like that? That attitude doesn't assume equality. If equal, I should get to piss about as much as everyone else seems to. If we're all equal, not even a gay serial killer should be a slight against our kind, right? There are plenty of straight ones, but nobody's like, "Don't be straight!"

Straight Jacket: A Review | Reviews | Living Out Straight Jacket: A Review | Reviews | Living Out

And anyway, if we did have a deal, I seem to recall that it was something along the lines of “one good turn deserves another”. Well that means that we’re already quits in my book. Because I kept my side of the bargain by tying you up, and you promised in return to keep quiet about my little underhand dealings at work. But letting you out again? That would be a second favour. And as far as I’m aware, I don’t owe you another.” Sally felt rather self-conscious as she informed her best friend that she’d bought this restraining garment on the internet. This book is predominantly aimed at gay men, written as it is by a gay man drawing upon his own experiences. However, I don't think queer people should feel excluded from this. "Society's legacy of gay shame" could just as easily read "Society's legacy of queer shame" and therefore in this way, "gay" should be seen as the umbrella term.

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Ange, there’s a fancy dress party at work in a couple of week’s time, and I was wondering if you’d like to come along as my guest?” Gay shame is something I guess I'm still dealing with. Maybe we all are. Even as I wrote this review I was like, "Do I get to talk about it? Will people mind? Will they judge me?" And even yesterday at my filmmaking club I had a weird feeling when someone brought up the fact that I had a husband. There were new members from Turkey, and I scanned my brain for any info of how not cool it is to be gay in Turkey and whether or not that "too early" reveal of my gayness might have scared off great filmmaking collaborators. Like, I'm so sorry my soulmate and I love one another so, you theoretical versions of people from a country I know nothing about. Jenny’s footsteps echoed on the hard floor, and her voice kept rising and decreasing in volume as she strode up and down.