A comprehensive biography of a groundbreaking gay icon and AIDS activist who helped define an entire era of Canadian sketch comedy.

Tommy Sexton was funny, but his life was no joke. As a founding member of the sketch comedy troupe CODCO, Tommy was a cultural insurrectionist who turned heads and broke barriers: he made his audience laugh while changing the way they saw the world. At a time when the queer community was under attack and Newfoundlanders were often ridiculed by the rest of Canada, Tommy used his platform to mock this ignorant stereotyping and push queer people into the mainstream. Instead of being the subjects of punchlines, Newfoundlanders and queer people became the ones delivering them.

Journalist Andrew Sampson examines Tommy's early days growing up in a large Catholic family in post-Confederation Newfoundland, his adolescent years in Toronto at the dawn of gay liberation, the creation of CODCO and the Wonderful Grand Band, and his public fight against AIDS. This rich biography gives Tommy the spotlight he's long deserved and brings his story to life for a new generation of fans.