Queers in History is the first comprehensive biographical compendium of important historical and contemporary figures who were/are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. From Egyptian pharaohs, Catholic popes, and Abraham Lincoln to Bishop Gene Robinson, Neil Patrick Harris, and Angelina Jolie, Queers in History brings these figures, from their work to their sexuality, to life.
The hundreds of people whose stories appear in this book are some of the most intriguing personalities of their times: actors and actresses, writers and musicians, businessmen and politicians, scientists and soldiers. But this irresistibly readable encyclopedia intended for gays and straights alike doesn’t just report those details that get left out of the standard biographies; it reveals a fascinating picture of queer society and culture throughout recorded history, from the homosexual traditions practiced by samurai in Japan to the modern struggles for equal rights in America. Sir Ian McKellen offers a foreword.
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Keith Stern has produced some of the most popular biographical Web sites on the Internet. Since 1997 he has been collaborating with Sir Ian McKellen on the actor's autobiographical Web site, McKellen.com. He has also produced official Web sites for Lynn Redgrave, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Spinal Tap, the film "Gods and Monsters" and others for movie stars and movies. Stern started in the music business as a musician followed by several years with Warner Bros Records in field promotion, public relations, A&R and IT. In 1979 in Charlotte, North Carolina he transformed "The Milestone" into a showcase punk rock/new wave music venue and in 1981 with Ben Clark, he opened a larger venue "Viceroy Park." As an independent promoter, he produced many early concerts for punk/new wave acts including R.E.M., The Ramones, The Go-Go's, Iggy Pop, Bow Wow Wow and Joan Jett. His screenplay "Freezing Time" will be filmed in 2009, starring Andy Serkis ("Lord of the Rings," "King Kong"). Keith currently lives in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Keith Stern has produced some of the most popular biographical websites on the Internet. Since 1997 he has been collaborating with Ian McKellen on that actor's autobiographical website, McKellen.com. He also has also produced websites for Lynn Redgrave (Redgrave.com), Sean Astin (SeanAstin.com), Andy Serkis (Serkis.com), Spinal Tap (SpinalTap.com), Gods and Monsters (GodsAndMonsters.net) and others for movie stars and movies.
Stern started in the music business as a musician followed by several years with Warner Bros Records in field promotion, public relations, A&R, and IT. In 1979 in Charlotte, North Carolina, he transformed "The Milestone" into a showcase punk rock/new wave music venue and in 1981 with Ben Clark, he opened a larger venue "Viceroy Park." As an independent promoter, he produced many early concerts for punk/new wave acts including R.E.M., The Ramones, The Go-Go's, Iggy Pop, Bow Wow Wow, and Joan Jett.
In 1993 Stern published Queers in History on CD-ROM, one of the first "new media" titles to be sold through bookstores. The contents included 850 biographies of historical personages who were gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It also included a trivia game, "Queeries." A new trade paperback edition of Queers in History was published by BenBella Books in 2009.
Stern has written a feature-length screenplay, Freezing Time, based on the life of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge which will be produced in 2011.
Queers in History is best described as the hybrid of an encyclopedia and a gossip column. It's certainly entertaining in places, but I'm not convinced that all of the claims are credible. I wish there were more discussion of the sources that led to the author's conclusions. Also, the book contains many individuals who had just a single homosexual experience; I don't know if that necessarily qualifies them as queer.
I could not put this book down, it's like a bag of potato chips; once you start, you can't stop. The importance of this book is in the title "Queers in History", what made them famous, infamous, was not just their sexuality but their sense of purpose. But did their sexuality play an important part in it? Most likely because what drives gay, straight, bi people are their goals in life, and their decisions in life are made emotionally, what they feel, what they need, what fuels their passions.
Keith Stern's book is not just a historical look at homosexuality but it brings to the forefront what is the common denominator of us all, the search for our own "place in the world". I highly recommend this book as a gift to all your straight, gay, bi, transexual friends and as a book to place on the coffee table to start lively conversations at any social gathering.
This book was a disappointment to me because I expected to read of fully developed characters but found instead little more information than an obituary might contain. BUT my biggest disappointment is that the book includes people who were attracted to children, clearly more pedophile than homosexual, and that does not belong in a book about Queers any more than a book about heterosexuals should include people who are attracted to children. I do not recommend this book as "the comprehensive encyclopedia of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals."
This book is fun to read, I also hardly could put it down and it has a reference function as well. The author Keith Stern inserted a quite a number of surprises, but most of all the book is making us all aware how GLBTs enriched our civilization, having contributed substantially to society and the arts. Our world would not have been the same without this input and creativity. Highly recommended! By the way, don't lend it out to friends, hard to get back. I am now buying this as a gift to them.
Short mini-bios on pretty much everyone in recorded history even suspected of being gay bi or les. Many of them are not confirmed queers but the author is very honest about the more dubious ones. One thing that really bothed me A LOT about this book was the inclusion of historical pedophiles. Pedophiles are NOT queers. They are perverts. Including them was disrespectful to real queers.
This book is rather effective in that one can either peruse a few entries during lunch break, or read through the night. At times I couldn't put it down. The format is basically several hundred cases of successful, famous, or notorious gay individuals whereby anywhere from a few paragraphs to a few pages are devoted to summarizing their lives and the evidence that they were in fact gay. It spans from the earliest recorded gay couple in ancient Egypt, up to the present day. You can find any number of variety, from royalty and popes, to scientists, authors, and of course the movie business. There were nonetheless some concerns I had that made me wary of buying.
As with anything on this subject, I was concerned that the evidence towards their sexualities, particularly from medieval times up thru the homo hunting in the 50s, would be flimsy at best. Not only was sexuality a taboo subject and hidden at all costs in many cases, but the passing of time can make it difficult to assess just about anything. Nonetheless, there was a compelling amount of proof most of the time, and the author even conceded in the preface that there were "bound to be some" errors. This is unavoidable, at least absent a diary confession or something. I think the opportunity to become well known was also limited before video and such. Consequently, a sizeable number in this book are still living and hollywood comes across as the gayest place ever. Where i think improvement could have been made was there were times I really wanted to learn more, yet only a couple paragraphs were devoted to some instrumental figure like Alexander. It could have done without some cases altogether; I don't care that someone in a boy band is gay, seeing as their only contribution to society is to make teenage girls scream.... I'd rather have read about some everyday foreman or police chief or whatever that had overcome prejudice (not to mention didn't wait until their career was over to come out).
Another difficulty that complicates the matter is the widely different cultures that these people lived in. For example, Lincoln is often assumed to have been gay because he wrote what appears to be passionate love letters to his roommate and lifelong friend. They also shared a bed, but it was quite common to do so in those days, when beds were prohibitively expensive and men who moved out west were separated from their families. So their correspondence reads like they can't stand to be apart, when it may simply be a matter of loneliness. In some parts of the world nowadays it's even common for hetero male friends to hold hands. So was Lincoln gay? He's in this book, but we'll probably never know. What is shocking to me was the number who frankly admitted to their sexuality when it was social suicide, or even death, to do so. In these instances, which is most of the entries, there is no room for doubt.
So in conclusion this collection isn't perfect, but it is a genuine effort and an entertaining reference. It's encouraging to see what an impact gays and lesbians have made across time and place.Read more ›
Rarely do I encounter a book that not only provides a wealth of high quality reference material, but does so in such an entertaining and engaging way. Stern writes with such inviting fluidity that once I picked up this book, I simply had to read it cover to cover. I learned, I laughed, I gasped and I turned each page with eager enthusiasm. For those active or interested in queer issues this is an essential addition to your library. I howled with laughter when I read about Marilyn Monroe's confession to her therapist, felt waves of compassion for those who had and still have to hide their beautiful souls from a hostile world and immense gratitude for those who courageously stood up, stand up and show the way. Queer or not, if you have an interest in understanding your own heart, this is recommended reading.
