Publisher Description
The award-winning, field-defining history of gay life in New York City in the early to mid-20th century 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 Drawing on a rich trove of diaries, legal records, and other unpublished documents, George Chauncey constructs a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, cohesive gay world that is not supposed to have existed. Called “monumental” (Washington Post), “unassailable” (Boston Globe), “brilliant” (The Nation), and “a first-rate book of history” (The New York Times), Gay New Yorkforever changed how we think about the history of gay life in New York City, and beyond.
Download and start listening now!
“Brilliantly maps out the complex gay world of turn-of-the-century New York City…The material is rich and much of it startlingly…Chauncey is a savvy tour guide…[and] has made a stunning contribution not only to gay history but to the study of urban life, class, gender—and heterosexuality.”
—
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
