A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski. 286 p.It was very interesting to read about how earlier times thought about, and described, sexuality. Our categories are not theirs; even the Puritans didn't necessarily punish sodomy, for instance, if it was private and didn't interfere with society. Bronski talks a lot about America's obsession with "purity," especially the 19th century social purity movements and their deep, abiding effects on American society--the "persecuting society," as he calls it. He discusses all manner of relevant aspects of society, including language--for instance, the phrase coming out wasn't really in use before the late 60s; the "previously the metaphor had been about coming into the homosexual world," p. 209).
(As an aside: It's been a long time since I've felt so stupid while reading a book--in some sections I felt like I couldn't fully understand the discussion. I've not read much social history nor political theory. I don't mean that Bronski's language is overly technical, just that I felt like I was missing some basic theoretical grounding that would have helped.)
Overall, I found the book very interesting, and will probably check out some of the references and topics that Bronski lists.
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