Quentin Crisp was well on his way to becoming (in)famous when the first Gay Pride march took place
in the UK in July 1972.
Many young people first encountered the possibility of living a queer life through Crisp's
autobiography
The Naked Civil Servant
and John Hurt's extraordinary portrayal of Crisp in the TV adaptation of the same title.
Civil Servant
reflects the true-life story of one teenager's realisation of
their queer identity. At the same time, the artwork satirises the ludicrous view, prevalent in the early 1970s, that people
could 'catch' or 'be turned' LGBT+.
Civil Servant
is one of a series of artworks created by public artist
Martin Firrell
(he/him) to mark the 50th anniversary
of the first Gay Pride march in the UK.
