Vintage signs 'vital' collection of writing on LGBTQ+ rights

Vintage has signed a “vital” campaigning collection of new writing on LGBTQ+ rights edited by journalist Amelia Abraham.

Senior editor Alex Russell acquired world all language rights for We Can Do Better Than This from Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander Associates.

Contributors include journalists Owen Jones, Juliet Jacques and Riyadh Khalaf, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Peppermint, model and intersex rights campaigner Hanne Gaby Odiele, musicians Shura, Pabllo Vittar and Mykki Blanco, community organiser Adam Eli, and writers and performers Tom Rasmussen, Amrou Al-Kadhi and Shon Faye.

Russell said: “We talk about LGBTQ+ equality. But what does it actually mean? And how do we achieve it? Through the deeply moving personal stories and provocative new arguments of the extraordinary contributors, We Can Do Better Than This helps us to see the answers to these essential questions. Amelia is a fantastic writer and I can’t wait for the conversations to begin about the urgent and powerful book that she has created."

Abraham is a journalist and author who has worked as an editor at Dazed, Vice and Refinery29. Her first book, Queer Intentions: A (Personal) Journey Through LGBTQ+ Culture (Picador), was published in 2019 and she is currently adapting it for television.

She said: “We have asked writers and activists from around the world to share their dreams and demands for making life better for LGBTQ+ people. It has been joyful and fascinating, but also sobering: there is still much work to do for queer people to achieve baseline safety and visibility. Globally, there are many varied frontiers – from asexual representation to eradicating trans dating stigma to the need for PrEP access for all. I hope this book sheds a light on the rich texture of our experiences and our needs, as well as laying out a manifesto for the next 10 years of LGBTQ+ activism.”