Leading the Parade: Conversations with America's Most Influential Lesbians and Gay Men

by Paul D. Cain, Jack Nichols (Foreword by)

Overview

Lesbians and gay men undeniably occupy a very different place in American society today than they did in the mid-1940s. Back then, only a few courageous gays and lesbians gathered to organize social and educational groups. Two decades later, a new generation of movers and shakers came forward to build on the firm foundation established by these fledgling groups, taking greater risks and seeking greater visibility.

Leading the Parade traces the evolution of the gay and lesbian liberation movement through the personal profiles and stories of nearly 40 individuals whose daring efforts changed America's attitude toward homosexuality during the gay rights movement of the 20th century. The personal profiles of the gay activists and political officials within this poignant book illuminate the events that shaped them. Many of their actions forced this nation to confront and change its views and helped this disparaged group gain acceptance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810859135
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2007
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.34(w) x 8.43(h) x 0.96(d)

About the Author

Paul D. Cain was a monthly columnist for Outlands Magazine, a gay publication, and he periodically contributes articles for GayToday on the Web.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Foreword
Part 2 Preface
Part 3 Acknowledgments
Part 4 Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms
Part 5 PART I. Starting from Scratch
Chapter 6 1. Dorr Legg
Chapter 7 2. Lisa Ben
Chapter 8 3. Jim Kepner
Chapter 9 4. Hal Call
Chapter 10 5. Jose Sarria
Chapter 11 6. Del Martin/Phyllis Lyon
Chapter 12 7. Barbara Gittings/Kay Tobin Lahusen
Part 13 PART II. Building on a Firm Foundation
Chapter 14 8. Randy Wicker
Chapter 15 9. Frank Kameny
Chapter 16 10. Jack Nichols
Chapter 17 11. Dick Leitsch
Chapter 18 12. Troy Perry
Chapter 19 13. Ginny Berson
Chapter 20 14. Robin Tyler
Part 21 PART III. The Written Word
Chapter 22 15. Barbara Grier
Chapter 23 16. Ann Bannon
Chapter 24 17. Kate Millett
Chapter 25 18. Martin Duberman
Chapter 26 19. Rita Mae Brown
Chapter 27 20. Malcolm Boyd/Mark Thompson
Chapter 28 21. Joan Nestle
Chapter 29 22. John D'Emilio
Chapter 30 23. Sasha Alyson
Chapter 31 24. JoAnn Loulan
Part 32 PART IV. Political Creatures
Chapter 33 25. Jean O'Leary
Chapter 34 26. Charlotte Bunch
Chapter 35 27. Ginny Apuzzo
Chapter 36 28. Allan Spear
Chapter 37 29. Cleve Jones
Chapter 38 30. Harry Britt
Chapter 39 31. David Clarenbach
Chapter 40 32. Barney Frank
Part 41 PART V. Creating a New World
Chapter 42 33. Jack Campbell
Chapter 43 34. David Kopay
Chapter 44 35. Holly Near
Chapter 45 36. Miriam Ben-Shalom
Chapter 46 37. Virginia Uribe
Chapter 47 38. Brent Nicholson Earle
Chapter 48 39. Urvashi Vaid
Part 49 Selected Bibliography
Part 50 Index
Part 51 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

The most interesting and informative book ever written on the evolution of the Gay and Lesbian movement in America...For those who have not read it yet, get it, read it, and learn about the people past and present that have shaped all of our lives. I promise that you will have a better understanding of why things are the way that they are.

Qbliss.Net - C.J. Neumann

...ask your local library to carry Leading the Parade. As a research tool, it is invaluable.

Gay Today

With ideological evenhandedness Paul Cain has artfully portrayed several dozen women and men who have enhanced queer life in America. These are our rainbow relatives and Leading the Parade is our family album. An important primer of queer history, this book goes a long way in setting the record 'straight.'

Jim Sears

Paul D. Cain has written an engaging book that tells the story of one of the most important social movements of the twentieth century as seen through the very human prism of the biographies of some of the women and men who helped make it happen. Particularly distinctive is the author's commitment to telling that story not from the vantage point of the detached observer, but through the personal odyssey that sent him crisscrossing the country to chat with a wide range of individuals who have, indeed, 'led the parade' toward gay and lesbian liberation and visibility.

Rodger Streitmatter

Drawing upon personal interviews, gay activist and journalist Cain presents the stories of 39 leaders who influenced the gay and lesbian movement in the United States between 1945 and 1995. The volume begins with a biography of Dorr Legg, executive director of ONE Magazine, a gay periodical founded in the 1950s. Some of the other pioneers profiled include writer Kate Millett, Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank, and singer-songwriter Holly Near. This is a paperback reprint of the 2002 original.

Reference and Research Book News

Drawing upon personal interviews, gay activist and journalist Cain presents the stories of 39 leaders who influenced the gay and lesbian movement in the United States between 1945 and 1995. The volume begins with a biography of Dorr Legg, executive director of ONE Magazine, a gay periodical founded in the 1950s. Some of the other pioneers profiled include writer Kate Millett, Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank, and singer-songwriter Holly Near. This is a paperback reprint of the 2002 original.

August 2007 Reference and Research Book News

The most interesting and informative book ever written on the evolution of the Gay and Lesbian movement in America...For those who have not read it yet, get it, read it, and learn about the people past and present that have shaped all of our lives. I promise that you will have a better understanding of why things are the way that they are.
— C.J. Neumann, Senior Editor

Qbliss.Net

Drawing upon personal interviews, gay activist and journalist Cain presents the stories of 39 leaders who influenced the gay and lesbian movement in the United States between 1945 and 1995. The volume begins with a biography of Dorr Legg, executive director of , a gay periodical founded in the 1950s. Some of the other pioneers profiled include writer Kate Millett, Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank, and singer-songwriter Holly Near. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews