Come Out

First edition of Come Out by Sunil Gupta (2023)

First impression 

Large format hardback (chopped boards) in new condition

Published by Stanley/Barker

About

When Sunil Gupta moved to London from New York in the late 70s, he was surprised to find no equivalent of New York's Christopher Street. All the gays and lesbians appeared to be in hiding. Only to be encountered in a handful of pubs and after-hours clubs, which closed very early. However, this was about to change with the development and growth of the 1970s fledgeling gay marches into the more significant numbers of more confident people who came out in gay public protests.

The photographs in this new book encompass the period from the mid to late 1980s and recount Pride marches before corporate sponsors, and their logos, as well as specific marches that were responding to a single event; antinuclear CND protests and demonstrations supporting the miners’ strikes, and of course, the several protests against Clause 28 -  a legislative designation for a series of laws across Britain that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities. Introduced by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, it was in effect from 1988 to 2000 in Scotland and from 1988 to 2003.