First published in 1995 by Pluto Books and now republished in an expanded version by Dog Horn Publishing, Over the Rainbow explains the roots of LGBT+ oppression, confronts the political contradictions in the movement and contains the earliest published first-hand account from the frontlines of LGSM.
Written at a time when the ‘pink economy’ was taking the place of political protest and LGBT+ people enjoyed increased visibility but still faced state discrimination and assault from conservative governments, Over the Rainbow cuts through the fragmentation of consumerist identity politics and sets out an agenda of resistance to oppression and exploitation that is firmly grounded in the politics of class. Using material drawn from published writing, political campaigns, LGBT+ cultural/media and original interviews conducted with gay businesspeople and activists, its message of liberation is even more relevant in today’s world of commercialised pride parades, legal reforms and polarised attitudes.
This expanded edition contains fresh material that considers the political impact of the film Pride, shatters the myth of a unified LGBT+ community, and assesses the challenges ahead for LGBT+ activism in the 21st century. The book is a valuable and unique addition to the material available to anyone interested in eradicating oppression rather than simply debating it.
‘A classic’
Sally Campbell, Socialist Review
‘I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. Nicola Field provides a long-awaited analysis of the intersections of sexual and gender identity with class, as well as giving a superb immanent critique of the mainstream LGBT movement, which is dominated by bourgeois perspectives.’
Gregory Esteven, Monthly Review
‘Unparalleled’
Leo Zeilig, Philosopher of Third World Liberation: Frantz Fanon
‘We all have a couple of key books in our lives that have really made us sit up and think. This was one of mine.’
Peter Dwyer, African Struggles Today
Buy Over the Rainbow online, here or here, or order through any good bookshop!