Philip Hensher

Bona to vada your dolly old eek

After Gay Liberation, it became redundant. But its verve and charm were missed, and it now flourishes — even in church services

issue 22 June 2019

Imagine you’re a gay man living in the year 1950. Not unnaturally, you would like to meet another gay man. How to identify yourself to a potential partner? A confession might bring the police; dressing and carrying yourself in distinctive ways will invite ridicule or violence in the street. The solution is this: you casually remark to a stranger that the pub you are both in is ‘naff’.

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