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Licence To Queer covers queer aspects of Bond books, video games and more. Search here for your favourite titles and characters or find content related to particular queer identities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, etc).
Highly camp and horrifying: the Licence to Queer Hallowe'en special
Callum McKelvie joins me for a special Spectre-al episode taking a light-hearted look at the horror elements in the Bond films and novels. We uncover the spookiest skeletons in Bond's closet and get very personal when exploring why queers like us are drawn to the macabre.
Bringing Bond home - a conversation with Corinne Turner and Simon Ward
I am joined by Ian Fleming Publications’ Managing Director Corinne Turner and Publishing Manager Simon Ward, following their announcement that they will be bringing the publication of all Ian Fleming titles ‘in house’ for the 70th anniversary of Bond. We discuss what this means for existing fans, their plans for attracting new audiences, the diversity of Fleming aficionados, new cover concepts and lots more. But first of all, I ask them to name their favourite Fleming books…
Analyse this: supporting James Bond psychologically
Dr Brendan J. Dunlop, a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the NHS, clinical lecturer and author of The Queer Mental Health Workbook, helps me analyse James Bond’s mental health experiences and suggests ways he could find some more solace.
Pour homme, pour femme and for everyone in between: making scents of more than 60 years of Bond fragrance
Of the five senses, smell is not something we talk enough about in relation to Bond. This is somewhat ironic considering that this is the very first sense Fleming triggers, setting in motion decades of olfactory curiosity, especially when it comes to 007 and gender.
The Cinematologists
In this episode of the superb Cinematologists podcast, creator Dario Linares interviews me about Bond as an object of queer fascination, the expansion of a welcoming online community, reading texts oppositionally, possibilities of Bond's queer coding, gay assassins, Jim Fanning, and the potential next phase of Bond lore.
Really 007: The Queen and Bond
I was honoured to be one of the slick trigger fingers brought together for this glowing tribute to Her Majesty. As the evening continued it turned into a real Bonding experience for all of us. Plenty of heartfelt moments and laughs, just as she would have wanted.
In From The Side: in Conversation with director Matt Carter
I talk with director Matt Carter, whose new film, In From The Side, is a romance between gay rugby players. In this conversation we tackle (sorry!) 'gay film' cliches, masculinities, alternatives to monogamy, drinking culture and how to shoot sex scenes intimately but tastefully.
“Sexuality, gender and James Bond are all very complex subjects…” Breaking binaries with Ben Williams
Bisexual Bond expert Ben Williams and I have been speaking for years behind the scenes, emboldening each other to be more openly queer. After they came out as non-binary, we thought it was about time we tackled The Big Stuff more publicly: gender binaries, putting who we’re attracted to into boxes and, perhaps most profoundly of all, what needs to be going down in our personal lives to make sense of Quantum of Solace.
The Queen, queers and country: a tribute to Her Majesty
For 70 years, Her Majesty was the only consistent recurring 'character' across the different versions of Bond, serving as a an inspiration for many, including women and those men who had to keep their sexuality secret.
“Licence to Queer is a community…” Interesting 2022 conference, London
I was asked to deliver a talk about Licence To Queer at Conway Hall in Central London. In this 10 minute presentation I speak about why I created an online space for queer Bond fans at the start of the Covid-19 lockdowns and how it has grown into a true community.
Book Review: Double or Nothing
Shaking up the Fleming formula, Sherwood serves up an intensely refreshing cocktail of all of our favourite ingredients with plenty of surprises. From the first sip to the last, Sherwood thrills us, sates our thirst for new Bond stories and makes us crave whatever comes next.
While we enjoyed Season 1 for what it was, there was definitely a lot of untapped potential. How far does Season 2 succeed in making us excited about ‘everyday people’ being thrown into the world of James Bond?