The thoughtful and painstaking collaboration finally came to fruition in early 1963 with the publication of Towards a Quaker View of Sex. The Friends Home Service Committee published it on behalf of the Working Group and also helped lay the groundwork for the release. The response was instant and electric. All prominent media outlets and figures in Britain covered it. Its notoriety spread around the globe. And it produced a greater-than-expected uproar within the Religious Society of Friends.
George Gorman, Friends Home Service Committee, sent advance notice and a summary to the press ten days before publication. Wary of the response in Quaker circles, Gorman sent a detailed explanation to a key committee chair. Bidder and Barnes talked about the report on BBC television the night before release. The immediate, "shocked" response from some media demonstrated the difficulty the group had in controlling its message. Yet there were also positive responses.
The TQVOS report received immediate coverage in all of Britain's major newspapers. The tone and viewpoint of this coverage varied significantly.
The report also received widespread recognition and media coverage outside Britain--particularly in the United States, France, Australia and other countries.
As the Working Group expected--even provoked--their report was widely discussed and debated within the Religious Society of Friends in the UK and in other countries. Significant protest and opposition arose within the London Yearly Meeting that played out in the bimonthly Meeting for Sufferings.
