The Queer Thing About Sin

A bold and beautifully written quest for the queer in antiquity. * Tom Holland *

As a gay man growing up in a hostile environment - evangelical Christianity - Harry Tanner’s journey to self acceptance and understanding is illuminating and timely. Why have western religious and secular authorities so frequently and so determinedly sought to exclude and demonise and persecute those who cannot conform to their prescribed patterns for loving?From the unmentionable vice of the Greeks to aversion therapy on the NHS, this fascinating book tracks the relentless iterations of oppression, celebrates the Resistance, and suggests strategies for consolidating hard won freedoms. And how to do so without it destroying the possibility of faith.

This book is brilliant and mind-bending…It’s so brilliant at linking the economy to sociological pressures; when the coin suffers, minorities suffer, it’s as simple and as terrifying as that. In one breathtaking analysis of ancient Athens, it shows how Elon Musks will always rise, how their danger is always present, that we should always be ready to fight. This is erudite but seems effortlessly light, soaring through history, literature and tradition with insight, horror and kindness… This has radicalised my view of history. It makes me look at past and present with new eyes. It’s terrifying, what’s in store, because maybe it’s happened before, but maybe with scholarship like this, we can make our lives better. Harry doesn’t just offer warnings, he gives hope. His greatest achievement is to show us the chains of history, but also the strength to shatter them. My god, this book is needed. History has never seemed more alive, more vital, more dangerous, and more wonderful.

Dr Harry Tanner earned his PhD in Ancient Greek at the National University of Ireland, Galway. As a teenager, he was an evangelical Christian and came to believe homosexuality was a sin. After a period as an atheist, he is open once again to spirituality and religion, and lives a fulfilled gay life in London where he writes and teaches ancient languages and history. The Queer Thing About Sin is his first book.