.jpg)
Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand
Chris Brickell
Random House
**** ½
It would be difficult to piece together a history of something that was not spoken about for most of its existence. Chris Brickell, who lectures in Gender Studies at Otago University, has written 400-page book, crammed with illustrations, on gay life in New Zealand. In his analysis of relationships between men in the early days of British colonisation, Brickell points out that he has had to reread old photographs with the knowledge that it was not always possible to distinguish between friendships and romantic liaisons.
It is amazing what has survived – a postcard, a note on a slip of paper and collections of intimate photographs. Brickell looks at early interactions with Maories, overseas influences on this island country and the legal limitations for men wanting to have a same-sex partnership. There is extensive documentation on the fight for liberation in the 1970s and the parallel worlds that existed at YMCA clubs, popular parks and bathhouses. This is an excellent compendium on how New Zealanders developed their gay identity as they chased tolerance.
Thanks to Random House we have a copy of Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand by Chris Brickell to giveaway to the first person to correctly name the street where New Zealand’s first pride parade took place in 1974. Email giveaways@www.outinperth.com with the answer and your contact details and good luck!
