A new photo book titled *Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualising Queer Nightlife*, edited by writer Amelia Abraham, collects photographs from the 1960s to today that document queer nightlife around the world. The anthology features works by artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Sunil Gupta, Kia LaBeija, Phyllis Christopher, Roxy Lee, Ajamu X, and Del LaGrace Volcano, alongside images from trans community archives in Mexico City and Buenos Aires. The book is organized into sections on sex, clubs, and dissent, and includes a range of media from film stills to a Grindr screenshot, aiming to capture the messy, sexy, and politically charged atmosphere of queer social spaces.
The book matters because it argues for the cultural and artistic significance of nightlife photography, positioning it not just as community documentation but as a legitimate art form. By including diverse perspectives—especially those of lesbians, trans people, and queer people of color—it challenges the historical overemphasis on white gay men in queer nightlife narratives. The project also reclaims spaces like the "glory hole" for queer female pleasure and highlights the political dimension of queer visibility and celebration, especially in contexts where public displays of affection remain dangerous.