The New York Metro American Studies Association is delighted to announce its first Salon Talk for Spring 2016
Thursday, February 11th
Timothy Stewart-Winter (Rutgers-Newark), Queer Clout: Chicago and the Rise of Gay Politics (University of Pennsylvania Press).
Tracing the gay movement’s trajectory since the 1950s, from the closet to the corridors of power, Queer Clout is the first book to weave together activism and electoral politics, shifting the story from the coastal gay meccas to the nation’s great inland metropolis. Timothy Stewart-Winter challenges the traditional division between the homophile and gay liberation movements, and stresses gay people’s and African Americans’ shared focus on police harassment. He highlights the crucial role of black civil rights activists and political leaders in offering white gays and lesbians not only a model for protest but also an opening to join an emerging liberal coalition in city hall. The book draws on diverse oral histories and archival records spanning half a century, including those of undercover vice and police red squad investigators, previously unexamined interviews by midcentury social scientists studying gay life, and newly available papers of activists, politicians, and city agencies.
Salon Talks are an opportunity for local American Studies scholars to share their published work with an intimate audience. They tend to be small, lively, and informative; light refreshments are served. This semester all Salon Talks will be held at 6:30pm in the Faculty and Staff Lounge, on the 8th floor of the West Building, Hunter College (Lexington Avenue and 68th Street).
For directions, more information, or to rsvp, contact Sarah Chinn at sarah.chinn@hunter.cuny.edu
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