This abstract is from materials provided by the publisher.
Alyson Publications has published David Bianco's first collection from his syndicated “Past Out” column, entitled Gay Essentials: Facts for Your Queer Brain.
Gay and lesbian history is full of myth and misunderstanding, contradiction, and controversy. Perhaps no one knows this better than David Bianco, who makes it his life's work answering questions from readers in his syndicated column "Past Out" which runs in 75 newspapers nationwide. Giving readers accurate, informed, and entertaining answers has made "Past Out" not only a national success story but a valued and respected resource for gay men and lesbians from coast-to-coast. Now, the questions and answers that have informed educated, and sparked countless conversations are collected in one volume. Subtitled Facts for Your Queer Brain, it is an encyclopedic compendium of gay and lesbian history which reads like a conversation with an old friend.
“Who was Sappho?” “How gay were the ancient Greeks?” “Was Eleanor Roosevelt a lesbian?” “How was ACT UP founded?” If you can ask it, David Bianco can answer it, and he does in this vividly on-target collection.
Gay and lesbian history is examined, explained, explored, and sometimes debunked in this collection of questions and answers that span the centuries from ancient Greece to the Clinton White House. Have you ever wondered who were some of the lesbians of Hollywood's golden age? Have you ever wished you knew the name of the first gay organization in America? Have you ever heard the names Katharine Lee Bates, Karl Ulrichs, or Babe Didrikson Zaharias and wondered who they were? Do you know the origin of the phrase "a friend of Dorothy" or the annual gay and lesbian pride events? Can you feel your Gay IQ increasing? You will as your knowledge and appreciation of gay and lesbian history is expanded in this entertaining and illuminating collection.
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