As a gay man in a heterosexual marriage, David Ledain searched in vain for a book to help him understand and cope with his situation. He longed to learn how other ordinary men living in modern Britain had come to terms with being gay, married and with children. Unable to find such a book, he quickly realised that he had to write the book himself. At the start of his journey, Ledain believed that he was completely unusual and the proportion of gay men married to women must be a tiny minority. Soon he concluded that gay men in heterosexual marriages is far more prevalent than most people imagine. In 2016, Ledain brought his research together in his book “Gay Dad”, which relates the experiences of 10 gay men from across differing social and demographic backgrounds, careers, ages and religions. While each man offers his unique life-story, the men share one principal commonality: each is a gay man who wrestled for many years with living in a predominantly heterosexual world.
In setting the context, Ledain also explores some wider questions around homosexuality, including what makes a man gay, what proportion of marriages involve gay men, what is the legal stance on homosexuality and divorce in the UK, and how do other cultures and religions view homosexuality. He even includes a brief glossary explaining some of the more popular gay terms and slang words. Subsequently, David Leiden has produced an updated edition of “Gay Dad”, as well as other books and guides exploring the history and practice of gay sex. Details are available on his website: https://davidledain.com/
