We are delighted to welcome multi award-winning illustrator and author David Roberts to the blog to answer questions on his exciting and highly informative new book, We are your Children: A History of LGBTQ+ Activism.  Questions have been posed by students at Ullswater Community College.

Were recent international and national political attacks on the queer community a motivation to write this book or is it just a coincidence that it is publishing at a time where it is more relevant that ever?

No, the timing of the book is coincidental with current events.

The book was planned back in 2018, with my motivation being to make a book that highlighted the stories of previous generations of LGBTQ+ people who fought for their own (and subsequently our) rights to live freely as queer people. I wanted to show that by their actions, and often simply by being visible in their communities, they gradually created a culture of greater acceptance and respect towards queer people where previously there had been suspicion, fear and prejudice.

Do you have a favourite LGBTQ+ power moment?

Gosh, that would be so hard to choose! I am particularly interested in the Radical Effeminists of the 1970s. As a gay boy who was always questioning `what I saw as the ridiculous restrictions around gender expression and expectations, I have been fascinated by their ideas. They were focused on smashing these gender stereotypes and working towards complete liberation from them, for everyone.

They wanted to establish a completely different way of being a man and expressing masculinity. Radical ideas back then – and still now it would seem! 

Whilst researching the book, what was the most inspiring story or advice you came across that you wanted to share with queer readers and their allies?

I don’t think I could single out one story in particular, but collectively I found the resilience of people and their determination to not be brushed aside, overlooked or disregarded very powerful. They knew they were right and they cared enough to show up and speak out to challenge discrimination. They may not have seen themselves as revolutionary, and they must have felt exhausted and perhaps even hopeless at times, but they kept going – and their actions did change attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people in a positive way. That’s very inspiring.

Do your experiences as a fashion designer influence your work? Is it clothes you still enjoy illustrating most?

YES! Thank you so much for that question , I love it! 

My love of clothing and style and how we dress ourselves has been a major influence on my work as an illustrator. With every new character I encounter I’m always asking myself – who are they? What’s their style? How will their style inform their personality? I see individual style as a form of storytelling in itself; perhaps we are expressing ourselves in ways we can’t with words. Or perhaps we are hiding ourselves and our true identity. So I would say it’s not only clothes I love to draw, but the personality that is wearing them.

What are the best things about being an author and illustrator?

As an illustrator of other people’s stories, it’s such a privilege and an adventure stepping into someone else’s imagination. Often when I read a text for the first time it fills my mind with images and possibilities! I may be taken to places in my own imagination that I would never have thought possible. It may challenge me to think about what story is being told – both through the images and the words, and is it the same story? What else can the image bring to the reader that’s not being said in the text? Oh and being able to listen to the radio while working is fabulous too. I’ve always loved radio ever since I was little. The working life of an illustrator is rather solitary so the radio is a bit like a work colleague. 

Are there any things about being an author and illustrator that you don’t like?

Good question! I think it’s hard sometimes to accept your limitations and embrace the challenges of working within them to create the best work you can.

I think also as I get older, focus (or should I say a lack of focus) is becoming a real problem! Oh, and some days I just don’t want to draw! 

Do you have any tips for aspiring authors and illustrators?

Composition is everything! 

Do you prefer writing or illustrating?

I think illustrating feels more natural to me. I like the language of illustration and the way a story can be told just with pictures. I think I might have developed a stronger sense of visual language because I have dyslexia, which when I was a child was not picked up on, so I was left to struggle with reading and writing and eventually drifted away from that form of communication sadly.

It’s been a bit of a revelation for me working on information books, as I have found the process of writing really satisfying, so perhaps I will try more.

What is your working style? Do you plan everything in lots of detail or go with the flow? Where do you prefer to work?

That’s a good question! I’m a planner; I plan every picture in great detail. I’m obsessed with composition so I’m always looking for an interesting way for the image to sit on the page. What gets seen and what is suggested? I love planning how the viewer’s eye will travel through the image and how that might help to enhance the storytelling, atmosphere and emotional impact of an image. I work from a studio space at home but will often travel with work, so really I can work anywhere as long as I have my easel, light box, daylight lamp, radio and magnifier (my eyesight is not what it used to be!).

I also am never without a note book.

We liked that the stories in the book are told in the first person, it really feels like those individuals are speaking directly to us. How did you research and collect their stories?

Thank you, that’s a lovely compliment. Where I could, I interviewed people.

It would have been wonderful to speak directly with all the people I was writing about, but unfortunately that wasn’t always possible. So for many of the stories I made sure I gathered as much information as possible.

Watching documentaries or listening to podcasts or radio interviews to hear the person speak about their experiences was a huge help in finding a way of telling their story. Finding news footage on YouTube was also amazing in helping me see events unfold and get a sense of the atmosphere around them. Newspaper stories and interviews were also really helpful, as they can capture the tone of how society was reacting and representing these events.

It became sort of journalistic as I wanted to re-tell stories without bringing too much of my own opinions or voice to the text. 

Given recent hostilities to the queer community and the increase in book bannings, we think that you publishing this book right now is a huge act of rebellion.  Is it intimidating and scary to put your head above the parapet though?

Yes, because many queer people of my generation are unable to fully shake off the shame about ourselves that was projected onto us by the homophobia we grew up dealing with. Even if we felt perfectly comfortable with our sexuality, society was telling us it was wrong, unnatural and shameful. It’s hard not to absorb some of that and carry it with you through life. It’s why we often say as gay people we are constantly coming out. (Not that I was ever in!).

There were no books like this one in my school or local library that I could access growing up, which only contributed to feelings of confusion and isolation as a young gay teen. We have come so far in terms of publishing with LGBTQ+ themes and characters in an encouraging variety of kids’ books from baby board books to young adult fiction.

So I’m particularly saddened and angry when I hear that these books are being removed from school or local libraries, putting young people in the same situation I was in at age 15, 40 years ago. 

I think because older queer people have experienced rampant homophobia and seen how far we have come over time, when we see these hostilities resurface – particularly now for trans people – it makes us even more determined not to go backwards. I think it’s important that we all know the stories of the generations who came before us and took action against the prejudice and discrimination they faced, to recognise when it is happening again. As the saying goes, ‘knowledge is power’.

We were excited by the big bibliography at the end of the book, what are the 3 books or websites you suggest we look at first to continue our queer education?

Making Gay History is a podcast where we can listen to interviews with many of the key figures in our queer history and culture. Many of the people interviewed are no longer with us so it’s an extremely important and valuable resource. 

No Bath But Plenty of Bubbles: An Oral History of the Gay Liberation Front 1970–73  by Lisa Power published by Cassell (but sadly now out of print). You can find used copies but they are very expensive. It’s a fascinating account of the British Gay Liberation Front, using interviews with its members to capture an insight into what life was like for queer people in the early 70s. The blurb on the back of the book states “The Gay Liberation Front dragged homosexuality out of the closet, onto the streets and into the public eye!” 

May I suggest a documentary? The Rebel Dykes directed by Harri Shanahan and Sîan Williams. This film is described as “a brilliant and refreshing story of post-punk Dyke culture told by those who lived it”. It is available on YouTube, and it’s such an important and valuable resource, especially because so much of lesbian culture was not seen. Even within the queer community, lesbian voices were not always heard. 

We Are Your Children is written and produced in the same style as Suffragettes: Battle for Equality – are there any other communities you would like to create a book about?

Ooh that’s a very good question! There is actually one that I would love to research and make a book about, and that’s the conscientious objectors from World War One. Or perhaps conscientious objectors of any war. I know only a tiny little bit about them, because in my family it’s believed that my great grandfather was one. I believe there were about 16,000 in the First World War who objected to being drafted, or refused to fight in armed combat for loads of different reasons. 

They were seen as social pariahs, ostracised and denigrated by society, portrayed as ‘cowards’ and ‘shirkers’. The rigid expectations of masculinity often highlight how men are taught to think but not feel, and in times of war, to step up and follow orders. So when faced with all that, their strength in staying true to their beliefs really inspires and intrigues me. I would love to find out more about them.

A big thank you to David Roberts for the interview, to students at Ullswater College for the brilliant questions and to Macmillan Children's Books for the opportunity.