Queer beyond London

Matt Cook had a difficult childhood to overcome. With God's help and the help of others along the way, Matt was rescued and provided for. Today, Matt is a father to five amazing kids and one grandkid and has been married to the same woman for 29+ years!Matt earned his Bachelor's degree and became a teacher in Texas. After retiring from teaching, Matt became a landscape designer. He is also a co-host of a podcast, Sabbath Lounge, with his good friend Jake. Sabbath Lounge started as a place for Matt and Jake to make their daily study of God's Word public, detailing their journey of following the ancient paths in the Hebrew Roots of biblical faith.

Where exactly is queer England? There has been much discussion of London as a queer city, but what about the many thousands of queer lives lived elsewhere? In Queer beyond London, two leading LGBTQ+ historians take you on a journey through four English cites from the sixties to the noughties, exploring the northern post-industrial heartlands and taking in the salty air of the seaside cities of the South. Covering the bohemian, artsy world of Brighton, the semi-hidden queer life of military Plymouth, the lesbian activism of Leeds, and the cutting edge dance and drag scenes of Manchester, they show how local people, places and politics shaped LGBTQ+ life in each city, forging vibrant and distinctive queer cultures of their own. Using pioneering community histories from each place, and including the voices of queer people who have made their lives there, the book tells local stories at the heart of our national history.

Explores and compares the queer dimensions of four English cities Manchester, Leeds, Plymouth, and Brighton

Introduction by Matt Cook and Alison Oram Part I: Queer Cities by Matt Cook 1. Britains Queer Playground: Swings and roundabouts in Brighton2. Split Scenes in Leeds3. Gay and civic pride in Madchester4. Naval Gazing in Plymouth Maps Part II: Queer Comparisons by Alison Oram5. Circling Around: Migration and the Queer City6. Urban Accommodation: Queer Homes, Households and Families7. Making History, Memories and CommunityEpilogueIndex