Forty-five Kiwi gay men have opened up about their lives and relationships for a substantial new book to be launched next week.
Men Alone — Men Together contains photos and stories from fourteen couples, fourteen single men and one trio. The book documents their lives and tells how their journeys have, for the moment, led them towards or away from relationships.
"I recorded an interview with each person or couple and photographed them in their homes," says Wellington-based author and photographer Mark Beehre. "Time and again I was moved by how willing these men were to speak openly and intimately about their lives.
"I am sure that their eagerness to have their stories told is an important part of shaping our collective gay identity. We all grew up surrounded by stories of boy-meets-girl. Telling and retelling our own stories — where boy-meets-boy — not only solidifies our sense of who we are, but makes our experiences available to others to do the same."
True tales
Many of the men interviewed grew up in a world that condemned homosexuality, and in which the expression of their love for each other carried the risk of imprisonment, adds Beehre. "One now-elderly man who, in the 1950s, presented himself and his older lover as uncle and nephew gives us a telling glimpse of a former era.
"Men Alone — Men Together reflects the immense diversity of the gay world. These men are our workmates and neighbours. They are gardeners and jewellers, teachers and builders, priests and fathers, each with a story to tell of remarkable determination and courage.
Mark Beehre's Men Alone — Men Together is produced by Wellington publishers Steele Roberts. The book will be launched at Unity Books on Willis Street in Wellington, at 6pm on Tuesday 16 February, and in Auckland at 6pm on Wednesday 17 March at Dymocks in Ponsonby (RSVP for the Auckland event via email at Ponsonby@dymocks.co.nz).
