First published in Italian in 1977, Mario Mieli's groundbreaking book is an early landmark of revolutionary queer theory - here available for the first time in a complete and unabridged English translation, with extensive annotations. Among the most important works ever to address the relationship between homosexuality, homophobia and capitalism, Mieli's essay continues to pose a radical challenge to today's dominant queer theory and politics. With extraordinary prescience, Mieli exposes the efficiency with which capitalism co-=opts "perversions" which are then "sold both wholesale and retail." In his view the liberation of homosexual desire requires the emancipation of sexuality from both heteropatriarchal sex roles and capital.

First published in Italian in 1977, Mario Mieli's groundbreaking book is an early landmark of revolutionary queer theory - here available for the first time in a complete and unabridged English translation, with extensive annotations. Among the most important works ever to address the relationship between homosexuality, homophobia and capitalism, Mieli's essay continues to pose a radical challenge to today's dominant queer theory and politics. With extraordinary prescience, Mieli exposes the efficiency with which capitalism co-=opts "perversions" which are then "sold both wholesale and retail." In his view the liberation of homosexual desire requires the emancipation of sexuality from both heteropatriarchal sex roles and capital.