From the turn of the twentieth century through the 1980s, gay people in Washington, D.C. created their own communities, fought for their rights, and, in the process, helped to change the country.
But much of this vivid history had never been documented. Until now.
In A Queer Capital: A History of Gay Life in Washington, D.C., Genny Beemyn explores how lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals established spaces of their own before and after World War II, survived some of the harshest anti-gay campaigns in the U.S., and organized to demand equal treatment.
Telling the stories of black and white gay communities and individuals, Beemyn provides insights not only into LGBT life, but also on the history of Washington, D.C. and African American life and culture in the twentieth century.
Michael Bronski, author of A Queer History of the United States, said the book “is at once exhilarating and moving. Brimming with newly discovered information and vibrant sketches of people and historical events brought together with a fresh eye and original analysis, A Queer Capital is an important addition to academic and popular studies of LGBT American history.”
