I began writing
autobiographical short stories in about 1987, when I was 24.
I wrote about the things that were happening to me; my
family relationships, my work life, and my attempts to find
a long-term partner. I never really intended to write an
actual book, but as so many things happened to me, the
number of short stories I wrote increased to the point where
I considered it appropriate to combine everything into one
text. This meant I would have to do a substantial amount of
re-writing, in order to make the stories "flow" into each
other. I never set out with the intention of writing
quite so much about my family, but this beccame essential as
I began to feel the effects of their behaviour upon me. I
wanted to show people that gay people, far from being
"different" or "odd", were quite normal, and experienced the
same needs, desires, wishes, and aspirations as
heterosexuals. I also wanted to show the absurd prejudice
and bigotry we had to tolerate. As my life moved forward,
and as I experienced more of life and found myself having to
"adjust" my life in order to protect myself from the
prejudices I encountered, I wanted to detail them, so I may
not forget their profound effect on me. "Second Class
Citizen" is a book for anyone who wants to understand how
upbringing and society, combined with Life, itself, can ruin a person's chances in life.
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