There are a few reference books I have always believed every (gay) home should not be without…a good dictionary, a thesaurus, an atlas, a world history, a history of art. I’ve revised my personal list to add Making Gay History.
Often we read gay oriented non-fiction, including histories, in which a single perspective overrides the wider view. Certainly all histories suffer from bias…we all know that two people viewing the same event usually have differing views of what they’d witnessed. How much more pervasive then is the skewing when a history of a movement is reported. I was a little relieved, even pleasantly surprised, to read Eric Marcus’ book reporting our gay culture’s effort seeking inclusion, recognition and acceptance into the larger American society. The author did a great job!
Unlike some Stonewall histories which tend to report a single happening through the eyes of people with similar viewpoints, Making Gay History is neither preachy nor dry. The format is workable, broken into seven parts. The attempt was to present an overview of gay history in the United States with most emphasis in the last 50 or 60 years. The attempt was successful.
Each part has its own introduction followed by interview excerpts with influential people of the era, not necessarily the famous, but surely the significant voices of the times. Often the author sets the historical stage with a paragraph or two of explanation, a technique, which, handled badly, would be irritating. Marcus does it well.
In 2003, life as a gay man in New Hampshire is comparatively easy. Yes, some of us face discrimination, verbal abuse, threat of physical attack, but by-and-large our lives are comfortable and as gay-focused as we choose to make them.
This book demonstrates that we are all part of a continuum and that we all have a role to play in shaping the future of our gay culture and the fabric of the American society. To that end, I found an opinion which seemed especially germane to where we are today:
There were those in the gay community who tried to define the issue in terms of our differences. This is what makes us unique. This is what makes us special. I think those things have to be said within our gay community, but when you start to define your issue in terms of the public at large, you have to define it in such a way that people can feel that what you’re trying to accomplish is right and that it’s something they want to be a part of. That’s the only way you’ll win. (p. 217)
The lesson here, I think, is that we need to emphasize and encourage our differences from the larger society when we deal among ourselves but when we try to accomplish change in the larger mainstream community it’s our sameness which counts and which must be projected. I think in New Hampshire we need to get a handle on this concept and from there begin to act on it.
This idea alone was, for me, invaluable. I suppose I knew it all along but not so well articulated.
The book as a whole is balanced, enjoyable reading. It’s a volume which can and should be read again. Reading the introductions to each part also serves as a concise review of our recent gay American history. Great book!