Adventures of a Gay Teenager in 1961 I’ve been looking back over my nine titles from 1997 to 2022. They are all autobiographic novels with the exception of Heanor Schooldays (1998) and Miss Calder’s Children (1997) which are social histories based on my school years. After finishing Double Life in 2019, I realised there was one special year of 1961 which had never been fully explored. It was well after the cruel horrors of Mundy Street Boys School and two years before my life was completely changed in the United States as documented in Secret Summer. I was 16 in 1961 when exciting adventures affected an uncouth youth who met all strands of the ultra-secret homosexual society. A little fat man, known as Dolly (a real person) took me to well-known queer pubs in Manchester and Turkish baths in London. They were enjoyable and exciting experiences, but insecurity and vulnerability led to some rather anguished situations. 16 in 61 is focussed on the secrecy and anonymity which still blights so many gay lives - even in 2024. Most of the people I met were consumed with anxiety having spent their whole lives living in dread, dodging disapproval, fearful of exposure and ever constant catastrophe. I lived in Stanley Common, a pit village near Ilkeston in Derbyshire when Dolly persuaded me to escape from home in the hope of bettering myself. He argued that I was an emotionally damaged, ignorant, poorly educated, credulous, naïve teenager - and could see me heading for disaster. He showed me a bleak future - ‘Look here, young man; I need to give you potential life changing advice. You might not take it, but, if I don’t tell you, I’ll never forgive myself. ‘You’ve been honest with me about your background and present precarious circumstances. ‘At the Ilkeston College of Further Education, you are in an entirely unsuitable training scheme. Do you really want to be a fitter, turner, miller, lathe hand, boiler man, scaffolder or a welder? ‘The majority of teenage homosexuals are exactly like you – horribly frustrated and deeply repressed leading a double life. Eventually, you’ll probably become entangled with an empty-headed working-class wench. You’ll delude yourself that you care for her and live out the rest of your life locked an unhappy marriage. ‘The heterosexual majority will impose this on you. You might try to find solace in religion and then be completely destroyed ending up as a sexless zombie. ‘Believe me, Narvel, I’ve seen it all before. You must simply disappear from your home without any explanation to your parents. It’s the only way.’ I came to know more about the intense anonymity of Dolly. Above all, he was vague. He had perfected a system of disinformation, misdirection, deception and sleight of hand to create an impenetrable wall of secrecy around himself. I came to accept that homosexual encounters had to be quick. Participants needed to tolerate the frustration of frequent interruptions to their ecstasies, often thwarting imminent orgasms. ‘You have a lot to learn, young man,’ cautioned Dolly. ‘We queers are all born criminals into a hostile world where the majority hate us. We are constantly stressed by always having to hide our true selves; many of us are tainted with mental quirks and dysfunctionality. Think yourself fortunate that you’ll always be able to pass as a well-adjusted heterosexual.’ I came across the high and the low, rubbed shoulders with narrow and powerful cliques, such as Derby Cathedral queens who considered themselves to be elite, superior and privileged. The likes of Claud Hoadley were at the height of their power in 1961. He controlled his fawning entourage by means of highly polished vowels. His number two, Hilary Raymond Hawley, also known as HRH makes an appearance in this book. Effectively, they ran Derby Cathedral on Sunday morning and the sumptuous Friary Hotel on Friday evening. Dolly makes critical comment - ‘You see, Narvel, they are not real. They put themselves on a pedestal. They are trying to be something they are not. They pretend to be in accordance with accepted notions of good taste.’ I was one of untold numbers of queer boys who, out of desperation, escaped queer hating parents. Like many callow teens, I said little because I didn’t know what to say. In contrast, older wiser Dolly had a lot to say. As with previous novels, it is a blend of fact and fiction, while being faithful to real happenings and attitudes. Narvel Annable 2024 You can purchase 16 in 61 through Narvel's Dobba's Delights Amazon store via the following link:
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