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heavyartillery2020-10-09 10:12 am
muccamukk) wrote in heavyartillery2020-10-09 10:12 am
[Resource] Potential Queer History Resources, an Incomplete List
If you're like me, and use fic as an excuse to read more books, hopefully this list gives you an idea of what's out there regarding WWII-Era queer culture. This list skews American, white, cis and male. It is not comprehensive, just what I've gotten to reading. I've posted longer reviews of a lot of these over at my journal. Try the search box or the queer books tag to find them.
(It should be noted, as I don't think it is said enough in historical fandoms, that I enjoy this kind of thing and this list if for folks who also enjoy this kind of thing, but if you're not that into historical nitpickery: sail forth! Honestly, your fanworks are valid if you haven't read any of these books and don't give a shit!)
Non-Fiction: General Topics
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Bérubé (1990)
If I were to rec one book for the US military, it'd be this one. It covers the military's changing views and approaches to dealing with homosexuality in the military, different medical definitions and legal mechanisms. It's also full of first hand accounts of soldiers, sailors and marines about how they felt joining up (when there were often screening questions to weed out homosexuals as unsuitable for service), how they found love, hook ups, cruising spots, popular culture, getting caught, some fairly horrific consequences of getting caught. A LOT of crossdressing. LIKE, SO MUCH. There are also a couple chapters on the post-war military, including a lot about the lingering consequences of having gotten a blue discharge. Most other books will cite this one.
One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military during World War II by Paul Jackson. (2010)
Same as above, but Canadian. There's a fair bit about the gay scene in London, if that's, randomly, of interest to anyone.
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940 by George Chauncey (1994)
Long, and fairly dry prose. As the title suggests, this technically ends pre-war, but it's a fantastic look at how gay culture in New York evolved. A lot of it is really NYC specific, like changing neighbourhoods and cruising spots, but you can generalise quite a bit of it, and it does include a lot about changing terminology over the war-time period (for example a study of when "queer" changed to "gay" in common in-group usage, as well as the evolving meaning of "to come out"). Plus if you happened to have people in NYC in the '30s...
When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan (2019)
This is a lot more of a pop history than a serious academic work like Gay New York, and it covers 1860-1960, but, readers, it's a friggen delight. There is quite a bit about WWII including the cruising scenes around the navy yards and at Coney Island, lesbian culture in the factories, and quite a bit of good information on the criminalisation/medicalisation debate. Focus on Brooklyn is a bit specific, but you can generalise a lot of it, and it's really a fun read.
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James Polchin (2019)
The book covers from the 1920s up to Stonewall, focusing on how queer men were seen through the lens of violent death, and how the media coverage of murdered queer men shifted over the decades as the legal and medical understanding of homosexuality evolved. Along the way, we read about a lot of gruesome murders of queer men in parks, in streets, in hotel rooms, sometimes by their lovers, sometimes by men who become increasingly aware that they can act violently towards queer men with impunity. It's a pretty grim read, but good information about queer men interacting with the legal system, and gay culture at the time.
The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman (2016)
Mostly focuses on civil rights, and starts post-WWII and runs up to 2016, but there's a fair bit of information about the state of legal rights and in the late '40s and '50s.
Code Girls by Liza Mundy (2017)
Not terribly useful for the gay culture aspect, though at least one of the women included was a lesbian, however, great for stuff about life in the WAAC and WAVES. Plus women cracking codes kick ass!
Non-Fiction: Biographies & Memoirs
My Queer War by James Lord (2010)
Posthumously-published memoir of a gay enlisted man (later art critic) who worked in intelligence. There's a fair bit about failing to connect to the gay scene (including sharing a bed with another gay man to save on hotel expenses, and not making a move), as well as various gay culture and bars in Boston and Paris. Lord's intelligence work was pretty grim, and involved a lot of discussion of war crimes, including rape and torture.
Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade by Justin Spring (2010)
Remarkably sexually active gay man who documented his sex life from the late 1920s through the 1980s. This is great if you're look for how sexual mores and trends changed inside the gay community, as well as what gay content could get published at what time, and what gay books and magazines were around. The focus is on Ohio and Illinois, but there's a bit of the Paris, Rome, and San Francisco scenes. There is a lot of graphic sex in this one.
Ike’s Mystery Man: The Secret Lives of Robert Cutler by Peter Shinkle (2018)
Republican from a wealthy Boston family who served in WWII as a logistics type, on Ike's election campaign, and then invented and occupied the post of National Security Advisor for most of the Eisenhower years. There's a fair bit about the queer scene in Boston pre-war, as well as in Paris post war. Cutler mostly seemed to pine for younger men, but we see a fair bit about the younger men's massive poly networks. There's a fair bit about avoiding getting purged in the Lavender Scare, and '50s anti-gay policies.
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini (2020)
Nominally a biography of Frank Kameny, but centres on the Homophile movement v. the US Civil Service in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age by B. Jack Copeland (2012)
Probably not the best Turing bio out there, but has a lot of fun Bletchley park info, and stuff about Turing's romantic life, including cruising in London and New York. Will make you want to throw a rock at the Cumberbatch movie.
Diana: A Strange Autobiography by Diana Fredericks (1939)
This isn't actually an autobiography but a roman à clef pretending to be a biography to get past the censors (more on that in my review here), but it's got some pretty good stuff about the interwar lesbian scene.
Visual Media: Documentaries
Coming Out Under Fire (1994)
Based on the book, if you want the cheat sheet version. It interviews a lot of the surviving folks.
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984)
Really great look at US gay culture (usual NYC bias) from the 1920s up through 1969. Made long enough ago, that a tonne of people who were there are interviewed. Just fantastic.
Open Secrets (2003)
Movie version of One of the Boys, interviews some of the vets. Can be found online for free on the NFB site.
Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1993)
Post-war lesbian bar culture as seen through the lens of lesbian pulp novels, lots of interviews. Can be found online for free on the NFB site.
Taking recs in comments! I really want to get to Women's Barracks by Tereska Torres, and Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography.
(It should be noted, as I don't think it is said enough in historical fandoms, that I enjoy this kind of thing and this list if for folks who also enjoy this kind of thing, but if you're not that into historical nitpickery: sail forth! Honestly, your fanworks are valid if you haven't read any of these books and don't give a shit!)
Non-Fiction: General Topics
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Bérubé (1990)
If I were to rec one book for the US military, it'd be this one. It covers the military's changing views and approaches to dealing with homosexuality in the military, different medical definitions and legal mechanisms. It's also full of first hand accounts of soldiers, sailors and marines about how they felt joining up (when there were often screening questions to weed out homosexuals as unsuitable for service), how they found love, hook ups, cruising spots, popular culture, getting caught, some fairly horrific consequences of getting caught. A LOT of crossdressing. LIKE, SO MUCH. There are also a couple chapters on the post-war military, including a lot about the lingering consequences of having gotten a blue discharge. Most other books will cite this one.
One of the Boys: Homosexuality in the Military during World War II by Paul Jackson. (2010)
Same as above, but Canadian. There's a fair bit about the gay scene in London, if that's, randomly, of interest to anyone.
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940 by George Chauncey (1994)
Long, and fairly dry prose. As the title suggests, this technically ends pre-war, but it's a fantastic look at how gay culture in New York evolved. A lot of it is really NYC specific, like changing neighbourhoods and cruising spots, but you can generalise quite a bit of it, and it does include a lot about changing terminology over the war-time period (for example a study of when "queer" changed to "gay" in common in-group usage, as well as the evolving meaning of "to come out"). Plus if you happened to have people in NYC in the '30s...
When Brooklyn Was Queer by Hugh Ryan (2019)
This is a lot more of a pop history than a serious academic work like Gay New York, and it covers 1860-1960, but, readers, it's a friggen delight. There is quite a bit about WWII including the cruising scenes around the navy yards and at Coney Island, lesbian culture in the factories, and quite a bit of good information on the criminalisation/medicalisation debate. Focus on Brooklyn is a bit specific, but you can generalise a lot of it, and it's really a fun read.
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James Polchin (2019)
The book covers from the 1920s up to Stonewall, focusing on how queer men were seen through the lens of violent death, and how the media coverage of murdered queer men shifted over the decades as the legal and medical understanding of homosexuality evolved. Along the way, we read about a lot of gruesome murders of queer men in parks, in streets, in hotel rooms, sometimes by their lovers, sometimes by men who become increasingly aware that they can act violently towards queer men with impunity. It's a pretty grim read, but good information about queer men interacting with the legal system, and gay culture at the time.
The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle by Lillian Faderman (2016)
Mostly focuses on civil rights, and starts post-WWII and runs up to 2016, but there's a fair bit of information about the state of legal rights and in the late '40s and '50s.
Code Girls by Liza Mundy (2017)
Not terribly useful for the gay culture aspect, though at least one of the women included was a lesbian, however, great for stuff about life in the WAAC and WAVES. Plus women cracking codes kick ass!
Non-Fiction: Biographies & Memoirs
My Queer War by James Lord (2010)
Posthumously-published memoir of a gay enlisted man (later art critic) who worked in intelligence. There's a fair bit about failing to connect to the gay scene (including sharing a bed with another gay man to save on hotel expenses, and not making a move), as well as various gay culture and bars in Boston and Paris. Lord's intelligence work was pretty grim, and involved a lot of discussion of war crimes, including rape and torture.
Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade by Justin Spring (2010)
Remarkably sexually active gay man who documented his sex life from the late 1920s through the 1980s. This is great if you're look for how sexual mores and trends changed inside the gay community, as well as what gay content could get published at what time, and what gay books and magazines were around. The focus is on Ohio and Illinois, but there's a bit of the Paris, Rome, and San Francisco scenes. There is a lot of graphic sex in this one.
Ike’s Mystery Man: The Secret Lives of Robert Cutler by Peter Shinkle (2018)
Republican from a wealthy Boston family who served in WWII as a logistics type, on Ike's election campaign, and then invented and occupied the post of National Security Advisor for most of the Eisenhower years. There's a fair bit about the queer scene in Boston pre-war, as well as in Paris post war. Cutler mostly seemed to pine for younger men, but we see a fair bit about the younger men's massive poly networks. There's a fair bit about avoiding getting purged in the Lavender Scare, and '50s anti-gay policies.
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini (2020)
Nominally a biography of Frank Kameny, but centres on the Homophile movement v. the US Civil Service in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age by B. Jack Copeland (2012)
Probably not the best Turing bio out there, but has a lot of fun Bletchley park info, and stuff about Turing's romantic life, including cruising in London and New York. Will make you want to throw a rock at the Cumberbatch movie.
Diana: A Strange Autobiography by Diana Fredericks (1939)
This isn't actually an autobiography but a roman à clef pretending to be a biography to get past the censors (more on that in my review here), but it's got some pretty good stuff about the interwar lesbian scene.
Visual Media: Documentaries
Coming Out Under Fire (1994)
Based on the book, if you want the cheat sheet version. It interviews a lot of the surviving folks.
Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984)
Really great look at US gay culture (usual NYC bias) from the 1920s up through 1969. Made long enough ago, that a tonne of people who were there are interviewed. Just fantastic.
Open Secrets (2003)
Movie version of One of the Boys, interviews some of the vets. Can be found online for free on the NFB site.
Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1993)
Post-war lesbian bar culture as seen through the lens of lesbian pulp novels, lots of interviews. Can be found online for free on the NFB site.
Taking recs in comments! I really want to get to Women's Barracks by Tereska Torres, and Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography.
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