Pride and prejudices
In between interviewing the likes of Madonna and Prince William, the award-winning former editor of Attitude found time to write a play and a vitally important book on growing up gay and mental health
WORDS: ADAM DUXBURY
MATTHEW TODD
Something about Gay Pride just didn’t sit right with Matthew Todd. This might sound like a surprising statement coming from the former editor of Attitude and the author of a seminal book about the gay experience, Straight Jacket. But then Matthew is not afraid to turn over that shiny rock and reveal the dark, squirming belly of gay life beneath. The side that so many of us love to gloss over, too busy living our #bestlife.
“People say ‘I’m proud!’ while being engaged in self-destructive behaviour,” Matthew explains. “I was very aware when I came out [that I needed] to be proud, but all the while, I, and lots of other people, didn’t seem to be particularly happy or proud.”