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How gay people and gay culture came to transform pop culture in the face of oppression.

Andrew Scott tells the remarkable story of how gay people and gay culture came to transform pop culture in the face of persistent oppression.

Born This Way: Episode 2

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02/08/2017

Episode 2

BBC Radio 2 - Born This Way, Episode 2Search BBC

Andrew Scott presents the remarkable story of how gay people transformed pop culture.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, Andrew Scott presents the remarkable story of how gay people transformed pop culture, despite persistent oppression.

Your love - forbidden.

Your way of life - against the law.

That was the chilling reality for countless LGBT people in the UK.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 which partially decriminalised sex between men, Andrew Scott tells the remarkable story of how gay people and gay culture came to transform pop culture in the face of persistent oppression.

In this second episode Andrew documents the horror of the AIDS crisis, which threatened to tear the gay scene apart in the 1980s. However, when surrounded by death, gay culture stood firm. Richard Coles (The Communards) and Andy Bell (Erasure) provide first hand accounts of being part of a new stock of proud LGBT performers who utilised their sexuality to push boundaries, tackle social issues and helped to define the sound of their generation. 

Super-producers Trevor Horn (Frankie Goes To Hollywood - 'Relax') and Mike Thorne (Bronski Beat - 'Smalltown Boy') detail the process of creating two songs which helped showcase two very different sides of gay identity in the mid 1980s.

Will Young explores the experience of coming out under the spotlight of reality TV, and how the depiction of gay culture on TV in the early 2000s was an important step towards to society becoming more tolerant of gay people.

Even in recent years it's been far from plain sailing for gay people in the entertainment industry. Markus Feehily, one of the lead singers in Westlife, tells of the pressures of being in the closet whilst also being in one of the most successful boy bands in the UK. 

Finally, Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander talks about being part of the new wave of 'always out' pop-stars, daring to use male pronouns in his song-writing and the future of LGBT themes in pop.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

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