Come Out Fighting: A Century of Essential Writing on Gay & Lesbian Liberation [Paperback]

Chris Bull (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2001 | Series: Nation Books

Gays and lesbians have spent much of the last 100 years as outcasts and pariahs in their own families, communities, and nation. In Come Out Fighting, Chris Bull -- Washington correspondent for The Advocate magazine -- has assembled a collection of the most important and influential writing, taken from both the gay and straight press, which forms the basis of the political movement which has reached its zenith only recently. Come Out Fighting contains essential writing on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues from U.S. independent and alternative progressive journals. From Walt Whitman and Sigmund Freud, to Michael Foucault and Elizabeth Birch, this volume is a collection of the best and brightest authors on gay life, politics and culture, from the earliest days of the liberation movement. The essays provocatively illuminate the remaining obstacles to full gay and lesbian equality, and point the way toward a future where there will truly be liberty and justice for all, regardless of sexual orientation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title and subtitle of Come Out Fighting: A Century of Essential Writing on Gay and Lesbian Liberation may appear misleading, for the collection features essays not only by gay rights leaders (Adrienne Rich, Harvey Milk, etc.) but by fellow travelers (Justice Harry Blackmun), ambivalents (Freud, Havelock Ellis) and downright adversaries (William F. Buckley Jr.). In short, these are the works that, for better or for worse, galvanized the liberation movement. Collected by The Advocate correspondent Chris Bull, some selections are predictable, but many, like Michael Bronski's ("The Liberation of Pleasure") or David Wojnarowicz's, are not this is probably the only time Milk, Blackmun, Buckley and Audre Lorde will appear together in one anthology.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Many observing the contemporary sociopolitical landscape might be inclined to wonder what became of gay liberation. In fact, articles in the gay press with titles such as "Is gay liberation dead?" are often answered affirmatively. An attentive reading of this compilation reveals that the issues of 100 years ago are still here today. Bull, Washington correspondent for the Advocate a national gay and lesbian news magazine has selected and carefully annotated many classics, beginning with Walt Whitman and Sigmund Freud and continuing to major contemporary figures. Clearly, different editors with different purposes might have made other selections. Nonetheless, this is a worthwhile addition to any collection with even tangential interest in gay topics. It would also make a useful textbook supplement for university courses. David Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (August 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560253258
• ISBN-13: 978-1560253259
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary look at queer politics, May 10, 2005

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Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Come Out Fighting: A Century of Essential Writing on Gay & Lesbian Liberation (Paperback)

This anthology of writings on GLBT politics is certainly not the first nor will it be the last such title, but the scope of collected writings is impressive.

They started out with and had earned a reputation for male chauvinism, but the Black Panthers later attempted to understand how homophobia and sexism were connected to racism and classism according to Huey Newton's contribution in this volume.

And then there is an early AIDS awareness article written by Larry Kramer and an early GLBT political observation from Harvey Milk. We are still dealing with both issues today, but their attempts to connect oppressions (note Milk's now dated use of the term 'handicapped' and take it with a grain of salt) speaks to our own generation of radical political activists. We cannot prioritize oppressions and we cannot afford to sidestep what is going on in our communities lest it offend somebody else.

In her "A letter to ma" Merle Woo talks about how liberation does in fact involve the simultaneous recognition of various oppressions. She is trying to show her mother that her new consciousness as an activist does not negate family or culture and actually affirms the intersecting experiences, thus reinforcing pride in both her parents. Her raised consciousness has given her a new appreciation for the hardships which her parents endured in their own lives, and she wants them to know how much they are now loved. Ordering social justice movements is impossible because we cannot similarly order our demographic components. They are literally us.

I'm appreciating the dissent in Bowers v. Hardwick, and the majority ruling in Romer v. Evans, but I am wondering if those Supreme Court rulings really should be considered part of GLBT liberation as an explicitly separate movement from the more mainstream GLBT rights. I've read the cases, and these opinions do not endorse the liberation movement's goal to create a new society; the justices pointedly are cautious to emphasize they cite existing law.

On the other hand, the inclusion of these justices might convince otherwise wavering people that `gay liberation' is good and should also be part of their own belief system.

While there are other more comprehensive GLBT political anthologies on the market, this book still makes a nice introduction because of the care which went into selecting the essays for the compact size. I also appreciate the fact that it examines culture, history, and politics, from the 1800's to 2000---again not an easy feat within page limits.

Some essays have/do appear elsewhere in more substantial books, but Come out Fighting makes a good purchase for people who want a 'basic' introduction to GLBT politics.