Description

“Rich and often moving . . . at times shocking, but often enlightening and inspiring: oral history at its most potent and rewarding.” — Kirkus Reviews

A completely revised and updated edition of the classic volume of oral history interviews with high-profile leaders and little-known participants in the gay rights movement that cumulatively provides a powerful documentary look at the struggle for gay rights in America.

From the Boy Scouts and the U.S. military to marriage and adoption, the gay civil rights movement has exploded on the national stage. Eric Marcus takes us back in time to the earliest days of that struggle in a newly revised and thoroughly updated edition of Making History, originally published in 1992. Using the heartfelt stories of more than sixty people, he carries us through a compelling five-decade battle that has changed the fabric of American society.

The rich tapestry that emerges from Making Gay History includes the inspiring voices of teenagers and grandparents, journalists and housewives, from the little-known Dr. Evelyn Hooker and Morty Manford to former vice president Al Gore, Ellen DeGeneres, and Abigail Van Buren. Together, these many stories bear witness to a time of astonishing change, as queer people have struggled against prejudice and fought for equal rights under the law.

About the Author

Eric Marcus is the author of several books and coauthor of Breaking the Surface, the number one New York Times bestselling autobiography of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.

Praise For…

"Making History is one of the definitive works on gay life. Through this collective testimony we may come to understand what it is to be 'the other'; in short, the other part of ourselves." — Studs Terkel

"Making History bears witness to the common dignity and humanity of its subjects and reminds us that in everyday courage and outrage, progress toward civil rights for all people is rooted." — K. Kaufman, San Francisco Chronicle

"An ambitious project well realized…smooth-reading text that will surely become a cornerstone of gay American studies." — Booklist

"[Making History] is a testament to the courage of individuals who have effected a positive change in our society." — Publishers Weekly

"…Rich and often moving…at times shocking, but often enlightening and inspiring: oral history at its most potent and rewarding." — Kirkus Reviews

"A contribution to the scholarship of gay activism….Marcus succeeds in giving a human face to what we are invited to regard as a historical phenomenon." — The Los Angeles Times

"Marcus…allows these stories of individual identity and courage to shine. Each story is told in strikingly different language and each is deeply personal and very often poignant." — Chicago-Sun Times

“As in the best of novels, there's a little bit of everything along the way: humor, anger, sensuality, poignant self-revelation, and transcendent courage.” — Armistead Maupin