I am delighted to announce that ‘Would?’ is the featured story on The Voice of Dog this week. It is my first two-part story to appear on the podcast.

Set in the autumn of 1992, ‘Would?’ centres around the college campuses of Portland, Oregon. Greystoke bumps into former girlfriend and lead singer of grunge band Baby Grrrl, Aspatria Caldbeck, at a protest against Prop 9. With the atmosphere febrile in the weeks leading up to the referendum on this anti-LGBTQ+ proposal, can they rekindle their relationship and defeat the conservatives who want to wind the clock back on gay rights?

‘Would?’ featured in the Wild Hearts anthology, which was released last summer by Armoured Fox Press. It is a very personal story and is loosely based on Nirvana playing a gig to support the opposition movement to Prop 9 at the time. The historical events in ‘Would?’ are all true, but the characters are fictional. When researching, the No On 9 Remembered website was particularly enlightening.

It is depressing to think that the very same arguments used 34 years ago are still being used to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people today. Having grown up in the 1990s when the UK had its own version of Prop 9, Section 28, I’m all too aware of just how damaging it can be for LGBTQ+ children to be denied access to key resources as they try and figure out their own identities. Section 28 certainly left me with scars, both physical and mental, and we cannot slide back into those damaging days. Alas, the trajectory is not looking good in many countries so we must do all we can to fight back hard.

I’d like to thank Rob MacWolf for featuring ‘Would?’ on Voice of Dog. You can hear the first half of the story here, while Part Two can be found here. Meanwhile, if you like the story, please pick up a copy of Wild Hearts. Edited by Anastasia Spinet, it’s a sweet collection of tales featuring F/F relationships, a perfect read for a late summer’s afternoon.