We Are Everywhere: A Historical Sourcebook of Gay and Lesbian Politics [Paperback]

Mark Blasius (Editor), Shane Phelan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415908590 | ISBN-13: 978-0415908597 | Publication Date: February 9, 1997 | Edition: 1

We Are Everywhere brings together the key primary sources relating to the politics of homosexuality. Tracing the evolution of the lesbian and gay movement, We Are Everywhere includes writings from the beginnings of the gay and lesbian movement in the 19th century ; legal and government studies concerning rights of gay and lesbian citizens; articles from the early US liberation movement publications; documents from the first days of the AIDS epidemic to current activism; statements and writings from the movements within "the movement"; and finally, alook at the future of lesbian and gay politics.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The discovery and uncovering of lesbian and gay history is a process that has, historically speaking, just begun. While historians like Blanche Wiesen Cook and Allan Berube have reinterpreted the past in a new, gay light there is still more work to be done. Mark Blasius and Shane Phelan have compiled We Are Everywhere, an incredibly useful and important volume of primary source material that will help both the academic historian as well as the common reader. Manuscripts ranging from 18th-century legal documents to contemporary essays and analysis are used in We Are Everywhere to chart how life has changed for gay people as well as how gay people themselves have forced and created change.

Review

A highly recommended book for everyone who needs to have a better understanding of gay and lesbian politics...Highly recommended for all school, public, and academic libraries Aids Book Review Journal.
Reading We Are Everywhere from cover to cover was a stimulating and awe-inspiring experience. The two hundred years of lesbian and gay political writing in this monumental volume welcome readers to an unparalleled banquet of conversations across the years. -- The Lesbian Review of Books
A new collection of original source material, edited by Mark Blasius and Shane Phelan, offers a treasure trove of our historical documents... there's no doubting that this books is a reference work of exceptional value... the richness of this volume lies in the inclusion of less famous but no less important voices. -- Bay Area Reporter
This is an extraordinarily exciting project . . . Amidst the rash of high-theory collections, this book explores the rich complexity of lesbian and gaypolitics across history and across cultures. The editors' willingness to re-open old debates and turn recent discussions in new directions will shed new light on the continuing problems . . . of lesbian, gay, and bisexual politics today. -- Tim Cook, Williams College
This fine collection broadens the scope of gay and lesbian studies. Having such diverse material in one place is extremely valuable. I look forward to using We Are Everywhere. -- Margaret Cruikshank, author of The Gay and r sbian Liberation Movement

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Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415908590
• ISBN-13: 978-0415908597
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This indispensable book needs to be everywhere, June 24, 2006

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Are Everywhere: A Historical Sourcebook of Gay and Lesbian Politics (Paperback)

Interest in GLBT politics and a consequent recognition that I (like most Americans) had very little of the background information needed to make informed decisions about today's issues ultimately prompted me to purchase this book.

Covering 18th Century Europe to 20th Century America, it is a powerful but accessible primary resource for anybody in search of historical context to contemporary issues.

Because the editors took care with the project, it is an excellent resource for experienced activists, academics, and newcomers who are simply seeking information about an area which certainly gets talked about on the nightly news---without then necessarily providing the aforementioned context. Unlike a lot of similar works, this book's heft is not waste, actually providing readers with immediately useful information.

Primarily focusing on the United States, the book also examines comparative GLBT politics in Africa (p. 761, p. 823). Like other Americans, progressive activists can also subconsciously and inadvertently evolve an "America first" perspective which fails to consider how sexuality and civil rights related to sexuality are experienced in other cultures; unless it is on our terms, it is not validated. This is an especially relevant pointer when the countries being talked about are not European.

Furthermore, the authors consciously made sure the voices and experiences of women, non-white and/or young people were equally included throughout the work. Adding critical depth to the work, it proves the movement has never only been about affluent white men and my generation itself is playing an equally important role along with Stonewall veterans and baby boomers.

Really, the works only flaw is that it ends in 1994. Considering everything which has happened since this date, I hope a second and expanded edition of this momentous work is planned for publication.

3.0 out of 5 stars Extensive, but flawed document collection, April 10, 2011

By 

RobConway (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Are Everywhere: A Historical Sourcebook of Gay and Lesbian Politics (Paperback)

While the editors are operating from a mindset formed, I suspect, in the late 1970s and 1980s, they have included a good deal of useful historical material, some of it translated from French and German for the first time. Apparently, the gathering of material began about 20 years ago, so that there is no coverage of the contribution of Queer Theory. Also, some items are abridged, without proper notification--a serious flaw in what purports to be an objective presentation of source documents. I noticed serious omissions, for example, in the English renderings of the three pamphlets from the time of the French Revolution.