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Gay L. A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, And Lipstick Lesbians
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.76609794
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Basic Books
Manufacturer: Basic Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 464
Publication Date: October 02, 2006
Publisher: Basic Books
Studio: Basic Books
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Editorial Review:
The exhortation to "Go West!" has always had a strong hold on the American imagination. But for the gays, lesbians, and transgendered people who have moved to L.A. over the past two centuries, the City of Angels has offered a special home--which, in turn, gave rise to one of the most influential gay cultures in the world. Drawing upon untouched archives of documents and photographs and over 200 new interviews, Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmons chart L.A.'s unique gay history, from the first missionary encounters with Native American cross-gendered "two spirits" to cross-dressing frontier women in search of their fortunes; from the bohemian freedom of early Hollywood to the explosion of gay life during World War II to the underground radicalism sparked by the 1950s blacklist; from the 1960s gay liberation movement to the creation of gay marketing in the 1990s. Faderman and Timmons show how geography, economic opportunity, and a constant influx of new people created a city that was more compatible to gay life than any other in America. Combining broad historical scope with deftly wrought stories of real people, from the Hollywood sound stage to the barrio, Gay L.A. is American social history at its best.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - More engaging than a Hollywood script
Gay L.A. is fascinating from beginning to end, from the history of gay and lesbian actors in the 1920s to the LGBT community's political power and media visibility today. A surprising number of gay and lesbian cultural institutions had their start in Los Angeles: the Advocate magazine, churches and synagogues, groups representing the diverse ethnic communities in L.A., and countless others.
The history of oppression in the 1940s, '50s, and early '60s is especially chilling. Gay men ... Read More
Rating: - Great book
I read about gay rights in the news every week, but never knew much about the background of this movement. Gay L.A. is a great read and opens up a new world of activism, secret lives, and entire underground societies. It's easy to think that New York and San Francisco were responsible for all the gay breakthroughs, but Los Angeles has an amazing story. This book also tells the story of gay women as well as gay men, which is fascinating. This book is carefully footnoted, but is written like an ... Read More
Rating: - Important, timely and well-written history
Gay L.A." is an important, very comprehensive and inspiring book--one that we've all been waiting for! It is packed with two-centuries worth of fascinating information, but it doesn't read like a boring history book at all. I was intrigued by all stuff I didn't know: the role of gay people in the city's early formation and especially the decades of corrupt oppression that were to follow. There is also a lot of new information about the Hollywood-studio era and the beginnings of the gay liberation ... Read More
Rating: - A lively and revealing history
[Disclaimer: Co-author Stuart Timmons is a friend of mine.]
I very much enjoyed the book. Certainly, those of us who lived through some of the events and who know or knew some of the people will enjoy the tale. And many folks, particularly newer generations, don't know much about this history at all. There's also plenty of new research, leading to rich detail that's never been told before.
Tales of Hollywood celebrities are culturally important, but are only one ... Read More
Rating:  - some interesting sections
I read this mainly as a Hollywood historian. Many many parts of this book are quite interesting, but unfortunately it contains the usual outing of the dead with little or no evidence to support it, just a lot of hopeful rumors from wishful thinkers. "So and so may have been," "everything says he was" etc.
One of the reviewers said that people who are alive and can sue are spared this type of statement in the book. I really don't know why because it shouldn't be libel to say someone ... Read More
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