A fascinating book on gay history has been published. Entitled Out of the Shadows and edited by Tony Walton, it tells the story of the many diverse gay groups and organisations which sprang up in Greater London between 1967 (when the law was changed) and 2000.

• Buy online: Out of the Shadows £12.50

From the discreet beginning of the SK group in 1968 in a Christian foundation, the reader is taken on a roller-coaster ride around the capital. Croydon, Harrow, Kingston and other towns reveal the secrets of their gay groups, as well as the special interest national groups holding regular meetings and other events in London such as the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association and the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group.

As MEP and gay activist Michael Cashman says in his foreword: "...an eye-popping account of the explosion of activity in London which followed the change in the law in 1967. The years preceding this date were grim indeed for many gay people and this legislation was nothing short of life-transforming...There is much in this book which has not been previously put to paper and that is why it forms a valuable historical record." 

Copies can be obtained from Gay's the Word bookshop, Marchmont Street, London or online here: Out of the Shadows £12.50