In the debut episode of Kaleidoscope of Gaze, writer, journalist, activist, and founder of the Polari Prize for LGBT+ literature, Paul Burston joins Kris Zar for a deeply personal and powerful conversation about growing up gay in Wales, discovering the gay scene during the 1980s, and living through the devastating years of the AIDS pandemic.

Paul reflects on the homophobia, fear, and loss that defined the era, sharing moving memories of activism, survival, friendship, and the fight for visibility at a time when LGBT+ people were heavily stigmatised by society and the media. He also discusses how those experiences shaped his journey into journalism and novel writing, as well as what today’s LGBT+ community must remember and protect as the future increasingly presents new soc ...