History of Homosexuality, World History - General & Miscellaneous

Gay essentials

Name: Gay essentials
Author: David Bianco
ISBN: 9781555835088

by David Bianco

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Overview

Gay and lesbian history is full of myth and misunderstanding, contradiction and controversy. Perhaps no one knows this better than David Bianco, whose life's work is answering questions from readers in his syndicated column, Past Out, which runs in 75 newspapers nationwide. Giving readers accurate, informed, and entertaining answers has made Past Out not only a national success story but a valued and respected resource for gay men and lesbians from coast to coast. Now the questions and answers that have educated readers, and sparked countless conversations are collected in one volume: Gay Essentials. Subtitled Facts for Your Queer Brain, it is an encyclopedic compendium of gay and lesbian history that reads like a conversation with an old friend. "Who was Sappho?" "How gay were the ancient Greeks?" "Was Eleanor Roosevelt a lesbian?" "How was ACT UP founded?" If you can ask it, David Bianco can answer it, and he does in this hilariously on-target collection from Past Out.

Gay and lesbian history is examined, explained, explored, and sometimes debunked in this collection of questions and answers that span the centuries from ancient Greece to the Clinton White House. Have you ever wondered who were among the lesbians of Hollywood's golden age? Have you ever wished you knew the name of the first gay organization in America? Have you ever heard the names Katharine Lee Bates, Karl Ulrichs, or Babe Didrikson Zaharias and wondered who they were? Do you know the origin of the phrase "a friend of Dorothy" or the annual gay and lesbian pride events? Can you feel your GayQ increasing? You will as your knowledge and appreciation of gay and lesbian history is expanded in this entertaining and illuminating collection.

About the Author, David Bianco

David Bianco is the author of Modern Jewish History for Everyone and the author of Past Out, a syndicated newspaper column that runs in 75 gay and lesbian newspapers across the country. He also runs Q Syndicate, which provides gay and lesbian editorial content to the gay, lesbian, and alternative press.

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Editorials

Library Journal

...[T]he entries in Gay Essentials are succinct, witty and anecdotal. Bianco does a sensible, entertaining job of covering the kind of history that isn't taught in most schools.

Charles Yarborough

In Gay Essentials, David Bianco draws from his witty and widely-published column to produce a literary slide show of queer history. But don't be fooled: while amusing and quickly read, Gay Essentials will throw you into the deep end of gay history. You won't close this book without appreciating the effects of lesbians and gays on modern culture.
—Alternative Family Magazine