"Sex, Clubs and Protest". A book has been published that reconstructs the "unfair" history of queer night: from the discos of the 70s to the fight against AIDS

At Mack Publishing came out anthology “Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualizing Queer Nightlife” (“Sex, Clubs, Protest: Visualizing Queer Nightlife”). This large-scale study, which spans the period from the 1960s to the present day, sets an ambitious goal: to show nightlife not merely as entertainment, but as a space for political resistance and identity formation.

What kind of book is this?

The anthology was compiled by a writer and a regular on London's dance floors Amelia Abraham. According to her, she wanted the book to “feel like a night on the town”: chaotic, loud, and uncensored. The anthology features works by such renowned artists as Wolfgang Tillmans, Sunil Gupta, and Kia LaBeige.

The book is divided into three thematic sections that reflect different aspects of experience:

1. Sex. This collection features candid and sometimes shocking images: from stripteases to “faces in crotches.” One of the most striking photographs is Phyllis Christopher’s 1991 work, which shows a woman relieving herself in a San Francisco alley—in a neighborhood that at the time was dominated exclusively by men’s leather bars.
2. Clubs. This section is dedicated to the euphoria of the dance floor. It features footage from Polish gay clubs, house parties in Argentina, and Adonis parties in London.
3. Protest (Dissent). Here, nightlife meets politics. Abraham deliberately placed shots of parties alongside images of fierce demonstrations to illustrate the connection between “anger and liberation.”

Why is this important? History has been “distorted.”

For a long time, the history of queer culture has focused primarily on white gay men. Abraham seeks to “rebalance” this narrative. That is precisely why the book’s cover features a photograph (viewable through a slit resembling a “glory hole”) Meryl Meisler, 1978, which captured two women embracing at Les Mouches, a New York City club.

The book also includes rare archival footage from Mexico and Buenos Aires in the 1980s, documenting the lives of trans communities, as well as photographs by Del LaGrace Volcano focusing on London’s lesbian fetish scene.

Nightlife as a Form of Resistance

For queer people, the club was often the only place where they could feel safe. Photographer Adjamu X, who documented London’s Black gay scene, notes: Many may openly declare their identity, yet still face marginalization because of their sexual behavior. The book celebrates “action” rather than simply “being.”

The political subtext is most clearly evident in the images related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For example, photographs of the Act-Up Paris group appear alongside the slogan “SIDA is disco” (AIDS is disco). Another important image is Jeffrey Hinton’s portrait of dancer Michael Clarke: at first glance, it resembles a fashion shoot, but in reality, it captures the aftermath of a homophobic attack.

The Problem of the "Caught" Frame

Despite its festive tone, the book also touches on ethical issues. The theorist Mackenzie Work points to the “hidden violence” of photography, which “freezes” the body and tears it away from movement. Trans people experience this particularly acutely: “We’ve become different from who we were in our old photos. If you’re a trans person, you know this problem,” says Work.

Why is Doberman.media talking about this?

In the age of smartphones, when every move can be documented and “tagged,” modern club culture often becomes anonymous (many people cover the cameras at the entrance). Abraham’s anthology advocates for the “candid shot” as a historical document. As writer Brontez Purnell notes, nightlife isn’t just about clubs—it’s also about parks after parties and late-night diners where phone numbers were exchanged on napkins. For the book’s authors, these scattered snapshots are “blueprints” of what it means to be a queer person in a world that has long tried to turn a blind eye to it.