Susan Burgess Knihy

Focusing on significant political, social, and cultural issues, this book presents a comprehensive exploration of gay and lesbian experiences in the U.S. over the past 150 years. It features twelve chapters addressing critical topics like the Stonewall Uprising, military service, youth education, and AIDS. Each chapter includes overviews, introductions to selected articles, and profiles of pivotal events and figures. This resource serves as an authoritative reference for students and researchers, providing historical context to contemporary LGBTQ+ issues.

The book delves into how law and legitimacy are portrayed in popular culture through diverse mediums such as soap operas, romance novels, tabloid newspapers, reality television, and coming out narratives. It offers a unique perspective on the interplay between paternal power and law, emphasizing grassroots interpretations and representations that challenge traditional views. By examining these cultural artifacts, the volume reveals alternative narratives that shape our understanding of legal and social authority.

"Using popular culture, political time, critical race theory, and queer theory, this book explores how LGBT people were transformed in the post-WWII era from dangerous perverts who threatened family and state, to military heroes and respectable married couples and parents"--