The Big Smoke

Time Out's 'London Calling' book is a snapshot of 40 years of London, as reported by the journalists and photographers of Time Out magazine. I haven't been around quite that long, but I have been in London for 25 years, and Time Out was the first place I turned to for information on the gay scene. Little did I know then that ten or so years later I would be editing the Gay & Lesbian section.

My piece in 'London Calling' is a summary of 25 years of gay London's history, from a very personal perspective. 20 years ago I was blocking traffic on Westminster Bridge as a gay activist. A year ago I was stopping traffic on Tower Bridge at my civil partnership ceremony. I think that's a pretty clear indication of how far gay London has changed.

Read an interview with Paul Burston about his contribution to 'London Calling'.