Gay Life & Culture: A World History

In the years since Stonewall, the world has witnessed an outpouring of research, critical inquiry, and re-interpretation of gay life and culture. This book draws on new material to present a comprehensive survey of all things gay, stretching back to ancient Sumeria and ranging to the present day. The authors juxtapose thought provoking essays with an extensive selection of images, many never before seen. This combination reveals the story behind gay culture from the industrialized world to the remotest corners of tribal New Guinea. The book covers such topics as the Old Testament relationship between Jonathan and David, the Age of Confucius, Native American berdaches, Polynesian mahus, Berlin in the '20s, Stonewall and the disco-flavored hedonism that followed, and the advent of AIDS, Act Up, and Angels in America. This book makes a contribution to understanding what makes gay life and culture universal throughout human culture and across time.… (more)