The John Lennon Contribution: How the Artwork and Limerick Came to Be

During the preparation of The Gay Liberation Book, Len Richmond and I contacted John Lennon through Apple Records in London. We were not sure if we would get a response. But we received one.

Apple Records replied on Lennon’s behalf, and a member of John Lennon’s London staff sent us three original items:

1. Drawing #1, which appears above in The Gay Liberation Book.
    
2. Drawing #2, (see below) which we chose not to include in the book due to space limitations during editing.
    
3. A limerick, sent on a separate sheet of paper: Why make it sad to be gay? Doing your thing is O.K., Our bodies our own, So leave us alone, Go play with yourself-today.

During the editing process, Len and I made a creative and editorial decision to combine the limerick with Drawing #1. That combined version is what was ultimately published in The Gay Liberation Book. The pairing was intentional, thoughtful, and done with respect for both the tone of the artwork and the spirit of the text.

This combined piece has since become one of the most recognizable visual contributions associated with the book.

Years later, the Estate of John Lennon granted formal permission for the work to appear on TheGayLiberationBook.com strictly for nonprofit, educational use. No other reproduction rights were granted.

Any appearance of this image on other websites, social media, or publications without written authorization from the Lennon Estate,  is a violation of copyright.

Likewise, TheGayLiberationBook.com has never granted permission to any outside party to reprint, reproduce, or redistribute these materials from the website or book.

The purpose of the website is preservation, education, and historical integrity, not commercial exploitation.

This artwork was not a casual submission. 

It was a deliberate act of solidarity from John Lennon to a movement that was fighting to exist openly, safely, and truthfully. Its survival is not an accident. It exists because it was respected, protected, and preserved.

And it remains part of a living history that belongs to the movement that inspired it. 

Hatun Noguera January, 2026