Mark Simpson on how George Michael was the missing, subversive gay link between Bowie and Beckham (Rolling Stone, 28/12/2016) Back in the early 1980s, I was one of those annoying ‘alternative’ teens who, when pressed, would admit they quite liked ‘Wham Rap!’, which extolled the freedoms of unemployment (‘I’m a… Read More »The Straightness of George Michael
Mark Simpson on the enduring allure of anonymous sex in an age of gay marriage and ‘anti-social networking‘ I was sixteen when saw my first glory hole. Or rather, saw my first filled glory hole. It was in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, a public-spirited, snobbish spa town well-served by shiny Victorian lavatories.… Read More »The Global Glory Hole
The MP Chris Bryant has faced calls for his resignation for appearing in his pants in messages sent via a gay website – but others see Gaydar as the future of dating. So what is it really like? Mark Simpson speaks with the (exhausted) voice of experience (Independent on Sunday,… Read More »Promiscuity into Bureaucracy: Gaydar and Online ‘Dating’
Why are the gentlemen of the popular press so interested in George Michael’s manhood? Why won’t they leave it alone? In 1998, after stalking him for years, in a painful pincer movement with Beverly Hills Police Department’s finest, they finally succeeded in catching him short in a men’s toilet. Now… Read More »I Want Your Sex: Why the Press Can’t Leave George Michael’s Manhood Alone