1950-

If you don’t recognise the name, you might recognise the lyrics from: “Glad to be Gay”. I first saw him at Pride when he sang an extra verse on the end, acknowledging and celebrating his bisexuality. I thought I’d do some research and find out some more about him.

Tom fell in love with another boy when he was 16; when homosexuality was still illegal – he attempted suicide. After forming an unsuccessful band in the early 70′s, he got into gay liberation politics and formed the ‘Tom Robinson Band’ in 1977 making hits like: “2-4-6-8 Motorway” and “War Baby”.

When he came out as bi and became a father, there were some ‘interesting’ tabloid headlines but Tom stuck with his identity and with his politics. He supports Amnesty International, The National Assembly Against Racism and Outrage! and has a web project on bisexuality.

Against a backdrop of negative portrayal of bisexuals and bisexuality in the media, it’s great to see someone famous out there who’s come out and stayed out – I hope it helps people acknowledge that sexuality can change and that going from gay to bi doesn’t mean you forget or neglect the oppression we all face.

Trish Oak