Monetary and fiscal policy, the exchange rate and foreign wealth Book

With a liberal grasp of Marxism (relying almost exclusively on early Marx's focus on alienation) and a heavy (somewhat dated) focus on Freudian psychology, Towards a Gay Communism is, at times, clumsy and confused but nevertheless a bold and thoroughly fabulous defense of unfettered queerness. Mieli is sometimes guilty of the overly deterministic use of psychoanalysis to explain away behaviors and sexual practices. There are nuggets of sass and political wisdom sprinkled throughout, especially the concept that marginalized groups such as queers, black people and women share a kind of material subjective basis for revolutionary action based on the concrete conditions of their oppression. His conceptualization of sexual relations between queer men and women is groundbreaking and displaces phallocentric notions of dominance. At the same time, Mieli recognizes the intrinsically radical nature of same-sex attraction and love, even within the context of phallocentric patriarchy. His adamant rejections of the traditional, macho Left were certainly earnest but anticipated the early 21st century's tragic rejection of politics in favor of identity. If only Mieli survived to witness the queer community's fightback during the AIDS crisis and the subsequent trend towards complete assimilation. While I do not agree with many of Mieli's political conclusions, voices like his are vital for our community and he represents the hidden gem of utopian thinking that makes queer identity worthwhile.