Jack Guinness talks LGBTQ+ narratives and The Queer Bible book

Cambridge-educated Jack Guinness began his career as a model, starring in global campaigns for brands such as L'Oreal, Dunhill and Dolce and Gabbana. As a style and fashion commentator, he has contributed to The Sunday Times Style, ItalianVogue.com, The Guardian, British GQ, Gentleman’s Journal and Tatler.

Jack is the founder of LGBTQ+ website The Queer Bible which celebrates the works and lives of the global queer community. Each entry is accompanied by an original illustration by a young LGBTQ+ artist. THE QUEER BIBLE book is available to pre-order from Waterstones and Amazon and will be released on 10th June 2021.

We spoke to Jack about his queer literary heroes, collaborating with fellow LGBTQ+ writers and artists, and fulfilling his dream of turning The Queer Bible into a book.

Can you tell us a bit about THE QUEER BIBLE book – where did the idea come from, and what encouraged you to pursue it?

I'd always pictured The Queer Bible as a book, but I created the website first as that was something I could create on my own, without anyone's permission. The website and social media accounts created a community, and that support made the book possible! Growing up, I'd been painfully aware that locating gay narratives was really difficult. As a gay man, those were the stories that I was immediately drawn to. I soon became obsessed with our diverse queer community; the photography of the trans and drag community by Nan Goldin, the punk films of Greg Araki and Gus Van Sant, and wider literature. I sought out these stories.

How important do you think literature is to the queer community, and how do you hope THE QUEER BIBLE will fit into the LGBTQ+ literary story?

So often, LGBTQ+ narratives have either been hidden - to protect people's personal safety - or they've been forcibly erased. The Queer Bible project is about bringing these stories into the light and celebrating them. Books are important. There is power in the physical book. That's why the Nazis destroyed them. It wasn't only about limiting ideas, there was symbolism in burning them and removing the physical space they took up and the weight those ideas were given. Physical books assume worth - these words are precious and important and must be spread and protected. That is why The Queer Bible book has such power - we are collecting these LGBTQ+ narratives in a precious physical item. It's a sacred text and history. I don't want to scare anyone off though… it's also really funny too!

The idea that we are joining the queer canon of literature is overwhelming… it's all thanks to the incredible contributors and their hard work. I am in awe of them! 

Who are some of your queer literary heroes? 

I have so many queer literary heroes. As a teenager I loved works by authors I didn't realise were gay at the time, but I was drawn to them all the same. We know each other before we know. Maybe there's something in being an outsider that we tune into, that makes us feel seen or heard. James Baldwin would be the biggest influence. Being a fellow son of a preacher man, I really connected to his stories. I read Go Tell It On The Mountain before I moved on to the overtly gay Giovanni's Room. So many of the books or films I read portrayed queer people as inherently doomed, so I love seeing current LGBTQ+ culture that centres on love fulfilled or queer people living happy lives. A lovely exception to this was EM Forster's Maurice - but there's something almost unreal about its seemingly too-perfect pastoral ending. Or maybe that's just me internalising the false idea that queer people can never be happy!

If you were recommending 3 queer works of literature to someone who wanted to read more widely, what would you pick?

The Velvet Rage changed my life. It's about how growing up in a straight world is inherently damaging for queer people - it centres the gay cis male experience but I think everyone should read it. Alan Downs brilliantly flips the message so many queer people receive, that there is something inherently wrong with them - there isn't, it is society that is damaged. It is simply a must-read. 

Just as Dancer From The Dance brilliantly documents the 80s nightlife disco and Fire Island scene for predominantly white gay men, House Of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara is a stunning tribute to the mainly Black and Hispanic stars of the NYC Ballroom scene, as immortalised in the cult documentary Paris Is Burning. It's a blistering, brilliant, heart-breaking debut and I was blown away when Cassara agreed to contribute an essay to The Queer Bible book. His piece on Pedro Almodovar is genius. It quite brilliantly follows the rhythm of an Almodovar film. I know parents shouldn't have favourites but it's one of mine!

Orlando by Virginia Woolf voiced concepts we are only just now understanding and accepting culturally - namely, the power and possibilities of fluidity. The book is addressed to Woolf's lover Vita Sackville-West and is infused with possibility, vigour exploding narrow concepts of gender and sexuality. It's just brilliant. I love Sally Potter's film version starring Tilda Swinton too - it's got Quentin Crisp playing Queen Elizabeth I and climaxes in Jimmy Somerville appearing as an angel. What's not to love?

You’ve described THE QUEER BIBLE as “a love letter to the queer community” - what was it like collaborating with other LGBTQ+ writers and artists to create the book?

Collaborating with the contributors was a dream come true. It was quite daunting editing my heroes’ writing but ended up just being really fun. I loved it. I'm a huge comic and graphic novel fan so working with the artists to develop the illustrations was so rewarding. The best thing about this book is the range of ideas, styles, and stories within it - it really reflects the diversity and richness of the LGBTQ+ community. It's everything I dreamed it would be - it's funny, moving and informative. It's the book I wish I'd had growing up.