Reviews

"An impressive oral history of . . . the most famous lesbian club in the world . . . a fascinating account of lesbian history." -- Charlotte Cooper, Rainbow Network.com, June 22, 2003

"An interesting look at lesbian history and each story captures moments of excitement, fear, desire, and revolution." -- THREE60, July 2003

"It's the stories that bring the club back to life [and] fabulous snapshots of the regulars holding each other up." -- Time Out, May 7-14, 2003

"Loving and superbly crafted book . . . a tribute to our culture, our past . . . describes acutely the 1960s." -- Kenric, June 2003

"This fascinating and sometimes hilarious book about the heady days when coming out just meant going out." -- Observer, May 11, 2003

Synopsis

In the 1960s heyday the Gateways Club was internationally known as "the" lesbian club to visit in London. When it opened in the 1930s lesbians were firmly in the closet and butch-femme roleplay predominated as a lifestyle. Yet by 1969, "The Killing of Sister George" had immortalized the Gateways and many of its real life members in a Hollywood movie starring Coral Browne, Beryl Reid and Susannah York, and directed by Robert Aldrich. By her portrait of the club, Jill Gardiner also gives us a social history of lesbian lives, loves and mores from a cloistered secret in the 1950s and 1960s to a battleground between feminists and traditionalists in the 1970s.

About the Author

Jill Gardiner trained as a historian. Her work combines thorough research with a readable style, appealing to the general reader as well as to the academic. She developed an interest in oral history as a member of Brighton Ourstory Project in the 1990s, when she was one of the editors of Daring Hearts: lesbian and gay lives in 50s & 60s Brighton. The stories of contributors to this book first inspired her interest in the Gateways Club.