An Evening with Harry Tanner - Gower St

This history of homophobia in the West and the untold stories of those who dared to love with Dr Harry Tanner.

Join Dr Harry Tanner as he discusses his new book The Queer Thing About Sin, the epic and gripping journey through ancient history, uncovering the origins of homophobia and the untold stories of those who dared to love.

In the early days of ancient Greece, queer love was celebrated. The most famous warrior in antiquity loved another man, the poet whose lyrics were memorised by philosophers and kings sang of her desire for women. Men could swear oaths of undying love and live out the rest of their lives together in peace. What fragments survive of this ancient world all tell us one thing: it was not a sin to be queer. So how did homophobia take root? Why did so many societies start executing men and women for the same love once praised by their philosophers and rulers?

In this event, Harry Tanner will discuss his journey to unearth the origins of homophobia in the West, and the societal structures he detects that homophobia has thrived under throughout history. Epic and revolutionary, The Queer Thing About Sin forces us to reckon with how homophobia infected Western religion and ideology - the consequences of which we are still living with today - and how we can move forward and resist homophobia in the future.

“A bold and beautifully written quest for the queer in antiquity” Tom Holland

"Brilliant and mind-bending… History has never seemed more alive, more vital, more dangerous, and more wonderful.” Russell T Davies

“Extremely compelling” Alain de Botton

Dr Harry Tanner is an exciting new voice in popular history writing. He earned his PhD in Ancient Greek at the National University of Ireland, Galway. As a teenager, he was an evangelical Christian and came to believe homosexuality was a sin. After a period as an atheist, he is open once again to spirituality and religion, and lives a fulfilled gay life in London where he writes and teaches ancient languages and history.Ticket price includes a glass of wine or soft drink.