Marginalised Loves: An Intimate History of the Last Century

The histories of love and lust are secret ones, especially for those on the outskirts of conventional society. This event looks into the history of marginalised loves, of LGBTQ+ men and young women, in the twentieth century with Luke Turner and Dr Sian Edwards.

For his book Men at War: Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945, Luke Turner uncovered conscientious objectors, a bisexual Commando, a pacifist poet who flew for Bomber Command, a transgender RAF pilot, a soldier who suffered in Japanese POW camps, and later in life became an LGBT+ activist. By exploring a wartime experience that embraces sex, lust, and the body as much as tactics and weaponry, Luke argues that the only way we can understand the Second World War is to get to grips with the complexity of the lives and identities of those who fought and endured it.

Luke Turner is a writer and editor. He co-founded the influential music website The Quietus and has contributed to the Guardian, Dazed & Confused, Vice, NME, Q, Mojo, Monocle, Nowness, Somesuch Stories and the BBC among others.

Dr Sian Edwards is a historian of twentieth-century Britain and a Senior Lecturer, School of History and Archaeology, at the University of Winchester. Her particular interest is in youth, rurality and gender. She is interested in challenging urban-centric histories of youth and youth cultures and is currently exploring experiences of rural youth in the twentieth century.