GLBT History

 
The Pink Triangle
by Richard Plant
A valuable contribution . . . the lesson that The Pink Triangle elicits from the Holocaust is the realization that we are still haunted by the specters of the Third Reich.
 

 
And the Band Played On
by Randy Shilts
An exhaustive account of the early years of the AIDS crisis, this outlines the medical, social and political forces behind the epidemic's origin and rapid spread," reported PW . "The book stands as a definitive reminder of the shameful injustice inflicted on this nation by the institutions in which we put our trust . . . a landmark work.
 

 
An Underground Life
by Gad Beck
Born in 1923 to a Jewish father and a Christian mother in a middle-class family, Beck was raised in both of his parents' religious traditions. When anti-Jewish policiesAinvolving housing relocation, forced labor and, finally, transport to the campsAbegan to be enforced, Beck helped set up resistance efforts to hide refugees and smuggle food and drugs into labor and concentration camps. In one terrifying episode, he donned a Hitler Youth uniform to rescue a lover from a deportation camp. Actively homosexual from an early age, Beck argues forthrightly and convincingly that his sexuality and love for menAwhich he movingly describes over the course of many adventuresAinfused most of his life and gave him the ability to fight for his own life and for others. His astute observations of daily life in Nazi Berlin, related in a chatty, humorous style, present a full, complex portrait of the times.
 

 
Stonewall
by David Carter
In the late 1960s, homosexual sex was illegal in every state but Illinois; now the news routinely covers the latest on gay marriages. So the subtitle says it all--or does it? The six days of riots sparked by police action in the early morning of June 28, 1969, against a popular Greenwich Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, constituted a homosexual "shot heard 'round the world" that transformed an American subculture. Carter's carefully researched, well-crafted writing portrays Stonewall as part of a larger civil and human rights movement and a spur to the gay rights movement. Stonewall precipitated great change--the formation of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance, for instance--and that leads Carter to examine the socio-politico-cultural convergence that resulted in the riots. Hundred of interviews figure into Carter's thorough exploration that dispels long-held myths and provides fresh facts about a freedom fight some liken to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
 

 
Provincetown
by KAREN CHRISTEL KRAHULIK
How did a sleepy New England fishing village become a gay mecca? In this dynamic history, Karen Christel Krahulik explains why Provincetown, Massachusetts--alternately known as "Land’s End," "Cape-tip," "Cape-end," and, to some, "Queersville, U.S.A"--has meant many things to many people.   Provincetown tells the story of this beguiling coastal town, from its early history as a mid-nineteenth century colonial village to its current stature as a bustling gay tourist destination. It details the many cultures and groups--Yankee artists, Portuguese fishermen, tourists--that have comprised and influenced Provincetown, and explains how all of them, in conjunction with larger economic and political forces, come together to create a gay and lesbian mecca.
 

 
Queer Love in the Middle Ages
by Anna Klosowka
Queer Love in the Middle Ages points out queer themes in the works of the French canon, including Perceval, Romance of the Rose, and Roman d'Eneas. It brings out less known works that prominently feature same-sex themes: Yde and Olive, a romance with a cross-dressed heroine who marries a princess; and many others. The book combines an interest in contemporary French theory (Kristeva, Barthes, psychoanalysis) with a close reading of medieval texts. It discusses important recent publications in pre-modern queer studies in the US. It is the first major contribution to queer studies in medieval French literature.
 

 
Born to Be Gay
by William Naphy
Homosexuality has always been present in society. William Naphy’s book dramatically highlights the positive attitudes of bygone generations and cultures, as opposed to nineteenthcentury views of the “disease” of homosexuality. There has long been an assumption in the West that views on sex and sexuality are basically similar worldwide. This has never been the case. Many ancient cultures actively promoted same–sex relationships as an integral part of adolescence or even worship. The rise of Judeo–Christian views forced homosexuality “underground”, leading to Henry VIII’s 1533 ban on homosexuals and Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment for sodomy. Born to be Gay takes a radical look at the history of homosexuality, from Bacchanalian orgies to “Gay Pride”
 

 
The Prime Time Closet
by Stephen Tropiano
Television history was made on April 30, 1997, when comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her sitcom alter-ego Ellen Morgan, "came out" to her close friends and 36 million viewers. This groundbreaking episode represented a significant milestone in Amerian television. For the first time, a TV series centered around a lesbian character who was portrayed by an openly gay actor. The millions of viewers who tuned in that historic night were witnesses to a new era in television. THE PRIME TIME CLOSET offers an entertaining and in-depth glimpse into homosexuality on television from the 1950s through today. Divided into four sections, each devoted to a major television genre, this unique book explores how gay men and lesbians have been depicted in over three hundred television episodes and made-for-TV films. These include medical series, police/detective shows, situation comedies and TV dramas. THE PRIME TIME CLOSET also reveals how television's treatement of homosexuality has reflected and reinforced society's ignorance about and fear of gay men and lesbians. At the same time, it celebrates programs like Ellen and Will and Grace that have broken new ground in their sensitive and enlightened approach to homosexuality and gay-related themes. This book is witty and insightful, accessible and illuminating, a look into what has become an integral part of American media culture.

 
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
History in America (3 Volume Set)
At a time when marriage equality is being championed and challenged, the publication of this resource on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identities, communities, cultures, and movements in the U.S. could not be more timely. A carefully constructed entry list includes more than 500 entry subjects. A wide spectrum of subject areas is covered: people; politics; culture and the arts; academic disciplines and fields; identities, communities, and cultures; geographical locations; law and public policy; economics and labor; sex, sexuality, intimacy, and relationships; religion and spirituality; language, symbols, signs, and concepts; social life, issues, and institutions; and social, cultural, and political processes. More than 400 years of historical developments are chronicled.