something queer going on

My copy of Against the Law has an intro by Matthew Parris written in 1999 where he argues that Wildeblood's descriptions of homosexuality as an illness and wish for a cure are "a respectful nod in the direction of self-loathing which he knew his readership (and publisher) expected" but not something he actually felt -- which makes a lot more sense in the context of criticism from later activists than it does just reading the book itself. I think it's an interesting sign of the world in which I live, as a queer British person in my thirties, that I feel like Parris's claim actually detracts from the book -- I'm not at all looking for validation, support or recognition from Wildeblood when I'm reading this, so I don't feel attacked by his view that he'd be 'normal' if he could; and, indeed, I feel like Wildeblood's candour about trying and failing to be 'normal' add as much to the heart of the book as everything else.

Which is all to say that it was Wildeblood's courage that helped to build us a world where his wish not to be like me doesn't hurt me, and I find that makes me love him in all his messy and complicated honesty all the more.