First published in Italian in 1977, Mario Mieli's groundbreaking book is an early landmark of revolutionary queer theory - now available for the first time in a complete and unabridged English translation.Among the most important works ever to address the relationship between homosexuality, homophobia and capitalism, Mieli's essay continues to pose a radical challenge to today's dominant queer theory and politics.With extraordinary prescience, Mieli exposes the efficiency with which capitalism co-opts 'perversions' which are then 'sold both wholesale and retail'. In his view the liberation of homosexual desire requires the emancipation of sexuality from both patriarchal sex roles and capital.Drawing heavily upon Marx and psychoanalysis to arrive at a dazzlingly original vision, Towards a Gay Communism is a hitherto neglected classic that will be essential reading for all who seek to understand the true meaning of sexual liberation under capitalism today.

Foreword: 'I Keep My Treasure in My Arse' by Tim DeanIntroduction by Massimo PrearoTranslator¿s Preface by Evan Calder WilliamsPreface1. Homosexual Desire is Universal2. Fire and Brimstone, or How Homosexuals Became Gay3. Heterosexual Men, or Rather Closet Queens4. Crime and Punishment5. A Healthy Mind in a Perverse Body6. Towards a Gay Communism7. The EndAppendix A: Unpublished Preface to Homosexuality and Liberation by Mario Mieli (1980)Appendix B: Translator¿s additional note from Chapter 1Index