Unknown to many, this hilarious slice of high-camp 60s psychedelia is a sought-after cult classic, made when being gay was still taboo. Its secret creators speak for the very first time
![‘Nuns quivered at the naughty bits!’ The story of trailblazing gay pop song Kay, Why?](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ac590deea792bf250453a2fde96aefc3d19f7751/0_89_3348_2008/master/3348.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=ff08ef1483f6b3a37eb87a97fdd053fd)
For LGBTQ+ people, and especially for gay men, the summer of 1967 offered much promise. The Sexual Offences Act had just been passed, meaning that homosexuality – at least, homosexual acts in private between two consenting adult males aged over 21 – was no longer a criminal offence, and the atmosphere was filled with a palpable sense of change. People were protesting for equal rights and an end to war. Love was in the air: the Beatles told a global television audience that it was all we needed, and we believed them.
As the summer of love turned into autumn and winter, a strange little record issued by a tiny, London-based independent label appeared: the innuendo-laden Kay, Why? by the Brothers Butch, its title a riff on the leading brand of water-based lubricant. Very few copies were sold, but it has gone on to become one of the most sought-after and highly cherished examples of
British camp humour.