I am a gay skinhead living in a city where there are no other skinheads. My only contact with other skinheads is either through this blog or through the Internet. It's ok, I am still a true skinhead, and a Sharp. I am a working man with the normal working man problems of little money and rough treatment of the authorities surrounding me. But like all skinheads, gay or straight, we  accept it as our right to be angry and arrogant and enjoy our right to let the world know we are here to stay, so get used to it. Nobody in the establishment reckoned on our being here 45 years later. In the late 60's and early 70's we were a council estate gang of rabble rowsers, looking for trouble and would soon grow out of it; but we didn't. We went from strength to strength, adding to our growing army of angry, arrogant and strong working class youths from the council estates, training others to take our place in the future, but not realising we would still be there in the new millennium. I became a skinhead in early 1970 and I still haven't hung up my boots.

Oh sure the clothes have changed and clothing and footwear manufacturers like DM's, Ben's and others have recognised the army and designed clothing for us, Underground brought out new boot rangers and so did Rangers. MA1's still rule in the jackets although I started with a Donkey Jacket myself. Some now even wear sports gear much to my own abhorrence. Traditional skins wear the uniform of yesteryear, the MA1 jacket, the DM's or other boots with steel caps, the braces shown proudly outside our jackets hanging from our waist, the washed out or faded denims, usually Levi 501's with shortened legs and football socks; Our heads shaved or cut to a No. 1 all over or maybe a Mohawk. but one thing we all love is our music and our culture. Without this we are just a mob of youth with no purpose.

May skinheads and their culture be part of our lives for the next 45 years although I think I won't see much of that time myself.

skinphil