A Black Queer History of the United States: A Landmark Study Centering Black LGBTQ+ Voices in American History
Summary
A Black Queer History of the United States, by professors C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost, is a landmark study that centers Black queer voices in American history. The book traces the lives of LGBTQ+ Black Americans from slavery to the present day, arguing that gender and sexual expression have always been integral to the Black freedom struggle. It highlights figures such as Private William Cathay/Cathay Williams, Josephine Baker, Bayard Rustin, and Amanda Milan, and examines the marginalization, criminalization, and government legislation affecting Black queer and trans communities. The work counters predominantly white-focused narratives of the LGBTQ rights movement by showing the integral role Black Americans have played in it.
Source
bskyA Black Queer History of the United States: A Landmark Study Centering Black LGBTQ+ Voices in American Historybookshop.orgKey quotes
· 5 pulledA historical appreciation of queer Black culture and how it shaped American history.
Illuminating . . . [A]n excellent window into a long-repressed past.
A Black Queer History of the United States isn't just a book—it's a balm, a battle cry, and a beautifully subversive remix of the American story.
Gender and sexual expression have always been part of the Black freedom struggle
the fight against racial injustice has always been linked to that of sexual and gender justice.
Gender and sexual expression have always been
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