This book completely opened my eyes to how music has been a powerful voice for the LGBTQ community over the last half-century. Jon Savage takes us on an incredible journey, from Little Richard's coded messages in the 1950s to the flamboyant, culture-shifting disco beats of Sylvester and Donna Summer. It’s not just a history lesson—it’s a celebration of how music has helped people connect and understand each other across boundaries. I learned so much about the hidden layers in iconic songs and artists, and it left me marveling at how pop culture shaped acceptance in ways I’d never realized before. A fascinating, educational read for music lovers!

I was blown away by the love I could feel throughout this book and the care that went into sharing these stories. I was also impressed by the inclusivity and wide range of the LGBTQ+ community and granting respect for those who may have identified differently at the time. Jon Savage's ability to link the political and cultural ties not just from the US, but really diving into the scene in the UK as well, opened up my eyes to an entirely different part of LGBTQ+ history and the coming age of new music overseas.
I would gladly read more of their books as I really thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and how simple it was to get drawn into these stories.

My only issue I will point out was the lack of attention to Freddie Mercury. I would have enjoyed following along with his journey and struggles in this time and environment as well.

I learned so much reading this book! I thought I knew so much about queer history and music - but I was undereducated until I read this book. The soundtrack for this book is epic - Sylvester, Little Richard, David Bowie, Donna Summer, and so many more. It has inspired me to really dig into some classic music playlists. It is a lengthy, but engrossing in depth pop culture history book that I will be using as a reference for years to come.

I received this as digital galley from NetGalley.

This was an interesting book that focused on queer/lesbian/gay musicians (some out, some closeted) who helped to influence culture. I liked that the book chose to focus on both the US and UK because I learned about UK musicians that I had never heard of before.

Like many books related to LGBT culture I feared that this would focus just on cis gay male- but the book included female musicians and transgender musicians.