‘Sir, we are homosexuals’

So began the letter penned by Roger Butler and sent to several British newspaper editors – some of whom were so shocked they thought it was a hoax – in June 1960. Writing such a letter seven years before the decriminalisation of homosexuality was a radical and dangerous move. It was a risk that set a major milestone in the fight for gay rights – one that has been almost entirely forgotten.

This is the story of the first man to come out voluntarily, using his own name, to the entire British public, a decade before activists started positioning gay people everywhere to ‘come out proud’. Taking us through a criminalised underworld of gay pubs, parties and activist meetings, The Light of Day charts how Roger helped bring about the legalisation of homosexuality, but soon found himself marginalised from the movement he kickstarted after losing his sight in his early 30s.

Enter Christopher – a student asked to visit and read to an old, blind man at the beginning of a new century. As their intergenerational friendship bloomed, Roger came to trust Christopher with his most precious possession: memoirs of his revolutionary past, locked away in his home. After Roger’s death, Christopher opened a series of unsent  letters, left in a pink folder, addressed to him. They contained Roger’s final wish, for Christopher finally to bring his remarkable, hidden story into the light of day.

Christopher Stephens is the Head of Southlands College and Director of the Susanna Wesley Foundation at the University of Roehampton, London. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, his academic interests are in both ancient Church History and practices in contemporary faith communities, including matters of diversity and inclusion. Christopher was next of kin to Roger Butler, inheriting Roger’s extensive archive of writings and letter correspondences on his death. The documents remain in Christopher’s ownership.

Louise Radnofsky is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington, D.C., where she covered the White House and a variety of social policy beats over a decade including healthcare, immigration and currently, sports. She holds BA and Master of Studies degrees in modern history from Oxford,, and a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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