Output details

Tell it to the bees

Set in the 1950s, Tell it to the Bees is an original work of literary fiction. Written at a time when gay and lesbian people have greater equality in the UK than ever before, it asks the question: what might the consequences have been for two women (a GP, and a factory worker and mother) falling in love in the 1950s? The law would have found against any parent seeking custody who was in a same-sex relationship, and the couple would probably have been ostracized by their local community, with grave economic consequences.

The novel is a three-hander, told through the eyes of the two women and a boy. Ten-year old Charlie is an emotional barometer for what’s going on between the adults, with a strong emotional, if not cognitive, understanding of events.

The novel required extensive primary and secondary research, including 1950s gender politics, the social history of lesbianism, the early history of the NHS and the place of women in 20th century medical practice. I conducted interviews with a number of gay and lesbian people about their experiences in the late 1950s, and with several GPs, male and female, practising in the 1950s. Secondary sources included the autobiography of a Hull-based GP, the history of the Gateways club, and Lilian Faderman's histories of lesbian life, amongst others.

It was published by Tindal Street, an independent publisher of regional literary fiction with a national reputation for excellence. I completed it during an international residency at Ledig House writers’ retreat, NY.

I have spoken to a large number of LGBT audiences across the UK. The novel continues to have a strong impact within the gay community and has made a substantive contribution to discussion about gender equality.