Boston's LGBTQ+ History: Published Histories and Biographies
A guide to the historical resources about the LGBTQ+ community collected at the Boston Public Library
On This Page...
... You will find biographies and history books about the Boston LGBTQ+ community in general as well as about specific members of that community or events within it. If there is someone or something you don't see here and would like to see included, let us know!
A Note on History and Identity
The constantly changing nature of social attitudes towards questions of sexual orientation and gender identity has, throughout history, drastically affected the way people self identify and present those identities to the world around them. The biographical subjects in this section may or may not have identified with a modern conception of the LGBTQ+ community, and applying modern labels to historical figures and behaviors is often difficult or counterproductive. As such, some of the biographical subjects listed here are those which are cited by published histories, academic research, or community traditions as being historical antecedents to the LGBTQ+ community of Boston today.
LGBTQ+ Histories and Biographies
The Hub of the Gay Universe by Call Number: HQ73.3.M4 L67 2019xISBN: 9780578410869Publication Date: 2019-04-01This LGBTQ history of Boston and Provincetown begins with the coming of Europeans to Massachusetts in 1620 and ends with the victory over the referendum to overturn transgender rights in 2018. It includes the many high points of these four hundred years: the torrid romances of nineteenth century actress Charlotte Cushman, the glamorous nightlife of 1950s Boston, the wild times of 1970s Provincetown, and the great outpouring of happiness that accompanied the country's first same-sex marriages. And it describes the tragedies: murders of trans women and gay men, the terrible waves of repression of the 1920s, and the devastation of the AIDS years. It documents how LGBTQ people have been present in the region at least since the coming of Europeans and how LGBTQ people had developed a political consciousness and were advocating for their rights well over a century before Stonewall. This is an important book for anyone who has lived in or visited this historic city and fabulous resort or anyone who cares about the history of LGBTQ people.
An Army of Ex-Lovers by Call Number: BIOG HQ75.4 .H65A3 2007ISBN: 9781558496217Publication Date: 2007-10-31Boston's weekly Gay Community News was "the center of the universe" during the late 1970s, writes Amy Hoffman in this memoir of gay liberation before AIDS, before gay weddings, and before The L Word.
Improper Bostonians by Call Number: LOCAL HISTORY HQ76.3.U52 M45 1998ISBN: 9780807079485Publication Date: 1998-06-01"Drawing on newspaper accounts private archives, advertisements, and other sources, Improper Bostonians introduces us to men and women who flouted conventional gender rules, were unapologetic about their lifestyles, and tried to make sense of their sexuality - sometimes at great cost."
Borrowed Time by Call Number: RC607.A26 M66 1990x - In Library Use OnlyISBN: 9780380707799Publication Date: 1990-03-01This "tender and lyrical" memoir (New York Times Book Review) remains one of the most compelling documents of the AIDS era-"searing, shattering, ultimately hope inspiring account of a great love story" (San Francisco Examiner). A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and the winner of the PEN Center West literary award.
Gay and Lesbian Biography by Call Number: SOC SCI REF HQ75.2 .G39 1997ISBN: 9780787605636Publication Date: 1996-11-01Now researchers have a one-stop source for information about notable gays and lesbians from all cultures, time periods and occupations. Gay and Lesbian Biography provides comprehensive profiles on approximately 275 prominent gays and lesbians. This first-of-its-kind resource covers famous names as well as many lesser-known individuals not covered elsewhere. Entries were selected and prepared with the guidance of a six-member advisory board made up of prominent members of the gay and lesbian community. Profiles include: -- An assessment of the person's role and importance in the gay and lesbian community -- A list of references cited in the essay -- A photograph of the subject (when available) Also includes a general subject index, a list of contributors and nationality and occupation indexes.
Leading the Parade by Call Number: HQ75.6.U5 C345 2002 - In Library Use OnlyISBN: 9780810841390Publication Date: 2002-03-11Lesbians and gay men undeniably occupy a very different place in American society today than they did in the mid-1940s. Leading the Parade traces the evolution of the gay and lesbian liberation through the personal profiles and stories of nearly 40 individuals whose daring efforts changed gay and straight America and their attitudes toward homosexuality during the 20th century.
Gay Press, Gay Power: the Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America by Call Number: HQ76.95.U5 B35 2012xISBN: 9781480080522Publication Date: 2012-11-24This book provides an overview of the history of LGBT community newspapers and magazines in America. It provides a specific focus on weekly and biweekly newspapers, but also assesses the LGBT state of print media overall.
Global Gay by Call Number: HQ76.25 .M36513 2018ISBN: 9780262037815Publication Date: 2018-04-27A panoramic view of gay rights, gay life, and the gay experience around the world. In Global Gay, Frédéric Martel visits more than fifty countries and documents a revolution underway around the world: the globalization of LGBT rights. From Saudi Arabia to South Africa, from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv, from Singapore to the United States, activists, culture warriors, and ordinary people are part of a movement.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Myths from the Acoma to the Zuani by Call Number: E98 .R3G38 2002ISBN: 9780820452869Publication Date: 2002-04-03Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered [sic] persons were at the center of a large body of myths in which they played important roles, from creators of earth and all life to heroes (male and female) in battle. From approximately 160 extant Native American myths, Jim Elledge has selected all those which would be most readily identifiable by contemporary readers as dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered [sic] individuals, as well as those which focus on them as prominent, if not main, characters in the myths. He has located a literature that existed long before the European colonization of North America and asserts that, not only does North American literature begin with the oral traditions of Native Americans, the beginning of North American literature includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender literature in the form of these and other myths.
A Queer History of the United States by Call Number: HQ76.3 .U5B696 2011ISBN: 9780807044391Publication Date: 2011-05-10Written by local Harvard professor Michael Bronski, this broad history of LGBTQ+ folks in America and the way they affected American history won the Sonewall Book Award in 2012.
