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MATT CAIN LOOKS AT HOW THE GREAT DANE’S SEXUALITY INSPIRED HIM TO WRITE HIS WORLD-FAMOUS FAIRY TALES.
Matt Cain@MattCainWriter
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
Gay men and children – it’s a combination that has often made people uneasy. I remember when gay men were routinely accused of corrupting or trying to ‘convert’ children. In the 1980s this prejudice inspired Section 28, which banned local authorities from ‘promoting’ homosexuality. But the irony is that, because many gay men were deprived of the innocent joy of childhood, we can be left yearning for this in adulthood – and this has often inspired us to create great work for younger audiences.