The variety of gay life in Chicago is too abundant and too diverse, to be contained in a single place. But since 1981, the Gerbert/Hart Library & Archives on the city's North Side has strived to do just that, amassing and cataloging a wealth of records related to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified people and organizations in the city.
In Queer Legacies, John D'Emilio--a pioneering scholar of gay and lesbian studies--digs deep into the collection at the Gerbert/Hart Library to unearth a kaleidoscopic look at the community built by generations of gay men and women in Chicago. Excavated from one of the country's most important, yet overlooked, LGBTQ archives, the stories included in his book are populated by athletes, lawyers, publishers, artists, performers, and organizers, each offering their own fascinating contribution to Chicago's historically vibrant scene . The breezy and enthusiastic essays that make up Queer Legacies range in focus from politics, culture, social life, and the history of institutions like Dignity--the foremost organization for LGBTQ Catholics--and the Gay Academic Union. Though the book is anchored in Chicago, many of the essays reach farther revealing the connections to events and issues of national import.
Queer Legacies illuminates how archives can be more than musty spaces far from the urgent concerns of the present day, and shows that institutions like the Gerbert/Hart are a life-giving resource for the historically marginalized communities they serve. This book gives readers an inclusive and personal look at fifty years of a national fight for visibility, recognition, and equality led by LGBTQ Americans who, quite literally, made history. In these troubled times, it will surely inspire a new generation of scholars and activists.
Industry Reviews
"Informative and plainspoken. . . Makes a convincing case for the power of storytelling to build communities and movements, and the importance of archival records in preserving 'a proud heritage of resistance.' This sparkling account has much to offer LGBTQ historians and activists." * Publishers Weekly *
"Queer Legacies offers an inspiring overview of individual perseverance, poignant losses, and stirring collective gains. . . . As much a work of love - D'Emilio's passion for prowling through the Gerber-Hart Archives and the countless stories they contain is palpable - as it is a work of history. . . . Now Chicago can boast a worthy addition to the growing body of place-based queer histories." * PopMatters *
"D'Emilio is an award-winning author and University of Illinois at Chicago professor emeritus who has researched LGBTQ+ history for decades. In Queer Legacies, he turns his focus on stories from the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, Chicago's repository for queer history. . . . These inquiries highlight the diversity of activism and experience and are grouped by such themes as religion, lesbian history, and AIDS activism. D'Emilio doesn't shy away from the passion of short-lived ventures or the ideological conflicts that caused the demise of activist groups." * Booklist *
"It wouldn't be completely wrong to describe Queer Legacies as the closest thing to the Pride Parade we'll get this year. . . . Like the physical parade, the book has a bit of everything. . . . As a scholar, D'Emilio has turned archives into allies, expanding a community's understanding of itself and its commitments." * Third Coast Review *
"Recommended. . . Rather than offering just biographical sketches of queer activists in the Windy City, however, the majority of the 38 chapters outline the sheer variety of groups active in promoting civil rights and social acceptance for LGBTQ people, primarily during and after the history-making 1969 Stonewall Riots and until the AIDS crisis of the 1980s." * Choice *
"As entertaining as it is intellectually stimulating. . . . The book rewards its readers with a wealth of details and surprising insights." * Soziopolis *
"Reading Queer Legacies is like sitting across the dinner table, spellbound, as D'Emilio spins a tapestry of queer life in Chicago. By the time dessert arrives, you've not only learned a lot of history, but also what it's like to find moving and shocking surprises in dusty archive boxes. D'Emilio has once again worked his magic." * Leila Rupp, author of A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Love in America *
"A wonderfully evocative book and an unparalleled look at Chicago's LGBTQ past. Full of fascinating stories, Queer Legacies gives us a front-row seat to over fifty years of community building and activism." * David K. Johnson, author of The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government *
"D'Emilio is a true master of the archive and a writer who brings the past to life as few others do. This guide to Chicago's queer activist past is a new kind of community history, one that illustrates the possibilities of the historian's craft and, at the same time, provides a valuable and vibrant guide to one of our most important LGBTQ collections." * Claire Potter, author of Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Our Democracy *
