{"product_id":"the-light-of-day-by-christopher-stephens-9781035421534","title":"The Light of Day","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn June 1960, several British newspapers received a letter so shocking some thought it was a hoax. Beginning \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Sir, we are homosexuals . . '\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, it was signed by Roger Butler and two others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePublishing such a letter seven years prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality was a radical and dangerous move. But it was a risk that marked a huge milestone in the fight for gay rights. By the 1970s, the Gay Liberation Front was calling on people to come out to help reduce stigma, and it continued to be a core tactic in the 80s and 90s. Roger, however, had done this a full decade earlier. \u003cb\u003eThis is the story of the first man to voluntarily come out in his own words, using his own name, to the entire British public.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTaking us through a criminalised underworld of pubs, parties, and campaign gatherings, \u003ci\u003eThe Light of Day\u003c\/i\u003e charts how Roger helped bring about a change in the law, legalising sex between men, but soon found himself marginalised from the movement he kickstarted after becoming completely blind in his early 30s. Worn down trying to navigate life afresh in London, he left for Oxford, where he became increasingly isolated and never found the life partner he so desperately wanted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEnter Christopher — an Oxford University student asked by a friend to visit and read to an old, blind man. Though their intergenerational friendship bloomed, Roger never spoke of his revolutionary act. Instead, he wrote about it secretly, leaving his account to Christopher after his death, along with a sealed pink folder. It was in that folder that Roger revealed his final wish, for Christopher to tell his remarkable story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hugely moving and powerful story about sexuality, disability, friendship, isolation, love, and more, \u003ci\u003eThe Light of Day\u003c\/i\u003e is a vital piece of missing history about a brave revolutionary in the fight for equality.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855880605932,"sku":"9781035421534","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/17736103482556.jpg?v=1759281686","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/products\/the-light-of-day-by-christopher-stephens-9781035421534","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}