The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights

A compelling comedy of polyamorous romance and nonbinary adventure, this reissue of The Giddy Death of the Gays and the Strange Demise of Straights--includes a Foreword by the author and an Afterword by noted queer writer Meg-John Barker.

Caroline and her Dom live out their normal lives amongst the poverty, alcoholics, and street preachers of Swansea, Wales. But when Dom and his straight roommate fall in love--a passionate, secret, non-sexual love--their lives are transformed into a queer chaos of cross-dressing, gender-bending and free love. Will Dom hold on to his relationship? Can religious fundamentalists be adopted as pets? And just what are The Lesbians up to? The ultimate battle between preachers and drag queens, skinheads and sex workers, boyfriend and girlfriend, is set to change the city forever.

Redfern Jon Barrett (they/them) is a writer, community activist, and author of the novels Proud Pink Sky, Forget Yourself and The Giddy Death of the Gays & the Strange Demise of Straights, which was a finalist in the Bisexual Book Awards and shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award. Redfern’s short stories have appeared in Booth, The Sun, Passages North, SLEEK, and Flash Fiction Online, were shortlisted for Scotland’s HISSAC prize, and longlisted for the Royal Academy/Pin Drop Short Story Award; their other writing has been featured in publications including Guernica and PinkNews, as well as the National Museum of Denmark.

Born in the North of England, Redfern lived in market towns, seaside resorts, and post-industrial cities, before moving to Wales and gaining a Ph.D. in Literature from Swansea University (Prifysgol Abertawe). Their campaign work for LGBTQ and polyamory rights has been referenced in The Mirror, Metro, BBC News, Buzzfeed, and The Independent. Now Redfern lives in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, with two boyfriends and far too many books.