Gay Resistance: The Hidden History

Literary Nonfiction. Gay and Lesbian Studies. Both newcomers and veterans, students and teachers, will benefit from this pithy booklet--a classic of the 1970s--which reviews the legacy of queer defiance and proposes bold strategies for achieving the rights of lesbians/gays/bisexuals and transgender people. The authors pinpoint the origins of homophobia and tell the story of those who fought back: from German organizers in the 1860s, to the homophile pioneers of the 1950s Mattachine Society; from the youth and drag queens of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, to the Gay Liberation Front and the eruption of lesbian feminism in the 1970s. The role of lesbians and gays of color is acknowledged and the work of groundbreaking lesbian writers is discussed. The weakness and strengths of various campaigns for sexual freedom are evaluated. The book includes an introduction by University of Washington Associate Professor Roger Simpson, author of the history An Evening at the Garden of Allah. A wide-ranging bibliography points readers toward further information on the LGBT struggle.