
A Queer History of the United States
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Narrated by:
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Vikas Adam
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By:
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Michael Bronski
About this listen
Winner of a 2012 Stonewall Book Award in nonfiction
The first book to cover the entirety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, from pre-1492 to the present.
In the 1620s, Thomas Morton broke from Plymouth Colony and founded Merrymount, which celebrated same-sex desire, atheism, and interracial marriage. Transgender evangelist Jemima Wilkinson, in the early 1800s, changed her name to “Publick Universal Friend”, refused to use pronouns, fought for gender equality, and led her own congregation in upstate New York. In the mid-19th century, internationally famous Shakespearean actor Charlotte Cushman led an openly lesbian life, including a well-publicized “female marriage.” And in the late 1920s, Augustus Granville Dill was fired by W. E. B. Du Bois from the NAACP’s magazine the Crisis after being arrested for a homosexual encounter. These are just a few moments of queer history that Michael Bronski highlights in this groundbreaking book.
Intellectually dynamic and endlessly provocative, A Queer History of the United States is more than a “who’s who” of queer history: it is a book that radically challenges how we understand American history. Drawing upon primary documents, literature, and cultural histories, noted scholar and activist Michael Bronski charts the breadth of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, from 1492 to the 1990s, and has written a testament to how the LGBT experience has profoundly shaped our country, culture, and history.
A Queer History of the United States abounds with startling examples of unknown or often ignored aspects of American history - the ineffectiveness of sodomy laws in the colonies, the prevalence of cross-dressing women soldiers in the Civil War, the impact of new technologies on LGBT life in the 19th century, and how rock music and popular culture were, in large part, responsible for the devastating backlash against gay rights in the late 1970s. Most striking, Bronski documents how, over centuries, various incarnations of social purity movements have consistently attempted to regulate all sexuality, including fantasies, masturbation, and queer sex. Resisting these efforts, same-sex desire flourished and helped make America what it is today.
At heart, A Queer History of the United States is simply about American history. It is a book that will matter both to LGBT people and heterosexuals. This engrossing and revelatory history will make listeners appreciate just how queer America really is.
©2011 Michael Bronski (P)2018 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“The first book to cover all of LGBT history from 1492 through the present is Michael Bronski's A Queer History of the United States (Beacon Press). It is wonderfully readable and looks at the way we understand the history of the United States. The LGBT population moves from the margins to the mainstream and we see that the history of this country also is our history.” (Windy City Times)
“Bronski's book provides an excellent overview for readers new to the field of gay history. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries...” (CHOICE Magazine)
“...A succinct distillation of the history of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders in America… Bronski’s impeccable research bolsters his arguments… a useful handbook for LGBT activist groups and other interested members of the gay community.” (Boston Globe)
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- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The Book of Pride captures the true story of the gay rights movement from the 1960s to the present, through richly detailed, stunning interviews with the leaders, activists, and ordinary people who witnessed the movement and made it happen. These individuals fought battles both personal and political, often without the support of family or friends, frequently under the threat of violence and persecution.
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Pure Joy for EVERYONE
- By Micah D on 06-03-19
By: Mason Funk
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The Gay Revolution
- The Story of the Struggle
- By: Lillian Faderman
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 29 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The Gay Revolution begins in the 1950s, when law classified gays and lesbians as criminals, the psychiatric profession saw them as mentally ill, the churches saw them as sinners, and society victimized them with irrational hatred. Against this dark backdrop, a few brave people began to fight back, paving the way for the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and beyond.
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An outstanding book.
- By David Farley on 10-21-15
By: Lillian Faderman
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Queer as Folklore
- The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters
- By: Sacha Coward
- Narrated by: Will Watt
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Leaving no headstone unturned, Sacha Coward will take you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul's Drag Race, visiting cross-dressing pirates, radical fairies, and the graves of the 'queerly departed' along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows, found kinship in the in-between, and created safe spaces in underworlds; but these forgotten narratives tell stories of remarkable resilience that deserve to be heard.
By: Sacha Coward
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The Stonewall Reader
- By: New York Public Library, Edmund White
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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June 28, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is considered the most significant event in the gay liberation movement, and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library's archives, The Stonewall Reader is a collection of first accounts, diaries, periodic literature, and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots.
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A good snapshot of LGBT history
- By Randy A. Wood on 09-28-19
By: New York Public Library, and others
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Gay New York
- Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940
- By: George Chauncey
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Gay New York brilliantly shatters the myth that before the 1960s gay life existed only in the closet, where gay men were isolated, invisible, and self-hating. Drawing on a rich trove of diaries, legal records, and other unpublished documents, George Chauncey constructs a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, cohesive gay world that is not supposed to have existed. Gay New York forever changed how we think about the history of gay life in New York City, and beyond.
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An Eye Opening History!
- By Nelson on 04-26-22
By: George Chauncey
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Unruly Desires
- American Sailors and Homosexualities in the Age of Sail
- By: William Benemann
- Narrated by: Rich Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In its voracious hunger to fill its decks and spars with the bodies of strong young sailors, the nineteenth century US Navy and the commercial maritime industry welcomed eccentrics, criminals, outcasts, and misfits into a community of the marginalized, one that held very different values and expectations than the towns and villages from which the young men fled, a community that offered a tentative refuge to men who were sexually attracted to other men. Benemann provides an in-depth examination of nineteenth century LGBTQ culture as it developed at sea and in America's port cities.
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Not much info about homosexuality on the high seas.
- By D'Juan Smith on 02-27-25
By: William Benemann
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The Velvet Rage
- Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World
- By: Alan Downs Ph. D
- Narrated by: Alan Downs Ph. D
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The most important issue in a gay man’s life is not “coming out”, but coming to terms with the invalidating past. Despite the progress made in recent years, many gay men still wonder, “Are we better off?” The byproduct of growing up gay in a straight world continues to be the internalization of shame, rejection, and anger - a toxic cocktail that can lead to drug abuse, promiscuity, alcoholism, depression, and suicide.
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Must read for any gay man
- By Matthew Phelps on 08-30-12
By: Alan Downs Ph. D
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Bad Gays
- A Homosexual History
- By: Huw Lemmey, Ben Miller
- Narrated by: Ben Allen
- Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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We all remember Oscar Wilde, but who speaks for Bosie? What about those 'bad gays' whose un-exemplary lives reveal more than we might expect? Too many popular histories seek to establish heroes, pioneers and martyrs but, as Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller argue, the past is filled with queer people whose sexualities and dastardly deeds have been overlooked. Based on the hugely popular podcast series, Bad Gays subverts the notion of gay icons and queer heroes and asks what we can learn about LGBTQ+ history, sexuality and identity through its villains and baddies.
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Stick with the history
- By John Bryan on 03-11-23
By: Huw Lemmey, and others
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Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Hidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate. Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory.
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Audible mislead me
- By Kellie M. on 01-22-25
By: Dan Jones
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The Swimming Pool Library
- By: Alan Hollinghurst
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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This novel centres on the friendship of William Beckwith, a young gay aristocrat who leads a life of privilege and promiscuity, and the elderly Lord Nantwich, who is searching for someone to write his biography.
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Strong stuff
- By Peregrine on 05-15-11
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When Brooklyn Was Queer
- By: Hugh Ryan
- Narrated by: Hugh Ryan
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Hugh Ryan's When Brooklyn Was Queer is a groundbreaking exploration of the LGBT history of Brooklyn, from the early days of Walt Whitman in the 1850s up through the queer women who worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II, and beyond. In intimate, evocative, moving prose, Ryan brings this never-before-told story of Brooklyn's vibrant and forgotten queer history to life.
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A Love Letter
- By Randy on 06-26-19
By: Hugh Ryan
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A Different Mirror for Young People
- A History of Multicultural America
- By: Ronald Takaki, Rebecca Stefoff
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A Different Mirror for Young People brings ethnic history alive through the words of people, including teenagers, who recorded their experiences in letters, diaries, and poems. Like Howard Zinn's A People's History, Takaki's A Different Mirror offers a rich and rewarding "people's view" perspective on the American story.
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Essential Listening
- By Susie on 06-10-16
By: Ronald Takaki, and others
What listeners say about A Queer History of the United States
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- Lindsey Campbell
- 01-19-24
Very insightful!
I enjoyed this book as it gives a much more in depth history of queerness than I have found anywhere else
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- exene
- 02-18-20
Even better than I expected
At first I thought I might never actually get through this much book, but it actually went by quick due to the compelling content and skillful reading. We're here, we're queer... oh, you know the rest.
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3 people found this helpful
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- A.E. Bross
- 05-20-21
Am intriguing and important history of the U.S.
honestly, this was a great title. There were definitely some issues that I had with some of the language being outdated, but I also have to remember that this book came out 10 years ago, and much of the language in the LGBTQ community has changed since then.
Keeping that in mind, this is one of the more informative and interesting looks at the history of the United States of America through the lens of its LGBTQ population, which has been and always will be there. I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially those who feel that there's no history for queer individuals. This book nicely lays out how vital the LGBTQ community has been to the formation of this country.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Micah D
- 02-13-19
Thought Provoking
This book was consistently interesting and thought-provoking. I found the epilogue to be particularly well written and challenging. In it, Bronski makes persuasive arguments, drawing on and giving new life to the elements from the history he had introduced in the body of the book. I was, honestly, surprised by some of his arguments. He caught me leaning toward simpler, cliched ways of thinking about our moment in history. I might end up clinging to some of my simpler thoughts about lgbt assimilation, but I enjoyed and cannot easily dismiss his way of framing queer history. The reader is talented, but I found the performance distracting (to me, some aspects of the performance seemed mismatched to the content).
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2 people found this helpful
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- Nic Nymh
- 10-30-19
The history lesson I didn’t know I needed
As a social worker and social science researcher, this book had me enthralled and often in disbelief. Of note, I read it for fun- and I am unbelievably glad I did.
The level of detail and research, and the intentionally inclusive notes and language used was touching and memorable. I’m literally about to read it again, and will likely buy a copy just to be able to write notes and look into some of the references more deeply - not only for my professional and academic knowledge, but also to better understand my country and my place in it as a queer trans adult.
Thanks to this book I am now chock full of fact based historical information, more US history knowledge than I’ve ever possessed, and a burning fiery rage about the erasure of my community throughout history. Thank you.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Gail & Jim
- 10-15-23
An Important book that I wish I had read sooner.
Insightful and complex narrative told with clarity and grace. The chapters are well-constructed and encyclopedic in discussing the many historic figures whose actions informed the evolving progress of the movement. It widened the understanding of American history
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- Meghan N Pursell
- 06-13-19
Get you a physical copy
This text is DENSE and there are so many amazing references that can be easily missed in audio form if you're listening on the go. Worthwhile.
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10 people found this helpful
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- The Grateful Potter
- 06-22-19
Excellent Text Book - It didn't float my boat.
Let me first say that this is an extraordinarily thorough book. It is a must-read for other writers and/or students of LGBTQ+ history. That being said, it didn't float my boat. After a few chapters of waiting to be drawn into this book, it didn't happen. This is an excellent text book. I rated it above average because it didn't match what I was looking for but is very well researched and written book. Like many dates I've been on, he was a great guy but there was no chemistry.
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5 people found this helpful
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- John Medlin
- 10-15-23
A great introduction to Queer History
A Queer History of the United States is a wonderful introduction to Queer History. It goes back to the formation of the country and traces the formation of the LGBTQIA+ community and the opposition to it. Some of the sections in this book havent aged as well. Queer history, much like Queer news, evolves fast.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-26-21
wow.
so, I got this book in order to not bombarded my uncle who lived through the major movements in the 80s and honestly. I can understand why he didn't want to discuss it often with me. this gives a wonderful narrative to the history of the lgbtq+ individuals. I will be recommending this to anyone wanting to learn more about what people of the lgbtq community has had to fight for. and we still have alot to fight for. it hasn't ended until we are completely equal everywhere in the country.
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1 person found this helpful