Short Synopsis
The sweeping story of the modern struggle for gay, lesbian, and trans rights—from the 1950s to the present—based on amazing interviews with politicians, military figures, legal activists, and members of the entire LGBT community who face these challenges every day.

Full Synopsis
The fight for gay, lesbian, and trans civil rights—the years of outrageous injustice, the early battles, the heartbreaking defeats, and the victories beyond the dreams of the gay rights pioneers—is the most important civil rights issue of the present day. Based on rigorous research and more than 150 interviews, The Gay Revolution tells this unfinished story not through dry facts but through dramatic accounts of passionate struggles, with all the sweep, depth, and intricacies that only an award-winning activist, scholar, and novelist like Lillian Faderman can evoke.

The Gay Revolution begins in the 1950s, when law classified gays and lesbians as criminals, the psychiatric profession saw them as mentally ill, the churches saw them as sinners, and society victimized them with irrational hatred. Against this dark backdrop, a few brave people began to fight back, paving the way for the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and beyond. Faderman discusses the protests in the 1960s, the counter reaction of the 1970s and early eighties, the decimated but united community during the AIDS epidemic, and the current hurdles for the right to marriage equality.

"Postel captures the tone and sometimes even the vocal style of many of the people quoted. In doing so, she avoids caricature and gives a sense of authenticity and sincerity to the production." ---AudioFile

"[T]his volume will deservedly become a standard in the field." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"Inspiring and necessary reading for all Americans interested in social justice." ---Kirkus Starred Review

"This book is destined to be one of the lasting contributions to the literature of the gay rights movement." ---Booklist Starred Review

"Faderman's immense cultural history will give today's LGBTQ activists both a profound appreciation of their forebears and the motivation to carry the struggle forward." ---Publishers Weekly

"This is an essential guide to the gay and lesbian movement, brought to life by a meticulous historian who is also a natural storyteller." ---Self Awareness

Bestseller

Bestseller

Library Journal Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Bestseller