Letters to ONE: Gay and Lesbian Voices from the 1950s and 1960s (SUNY series in Queer Politics and Cultures)

Collection of letters written to the first openly gay magazine in the United States. Long before the Stonewall riots, ONE magazine—the first openly gay magazine in the United States—offered a positive viewpoint of homosexuality and encouraged gay people to resist discrimination and persecution. Despite a limited monthly circulation of only a few thousand, the magazine influenced the substance, character, and tone of the early American gay rights movement. This book is a collection of letters written to the magazine, a small number of which were published in ONE, but most of them were not. The letters candidly explore issues such as police harassment of gay and lesbian communities, antigay job purges, and the philosophical, scientific, and religious meanings of homosexuality. “[a] remarkable book ... about gay and lesbian life in the 1950s and ’60s.” — Los Angeles Times Craig M. Loftin is Lecturer in American Studies at California State University, Fullerton. He is the author ofMasked Voices: Gay Men and Lesbians in Cold War America, also published by SUNY Press. Collection of letters written to the first openly gay magazine in the United States. Long before the Stonewall riots, ONE magazine—the first openly gay magazine in the United States—offered a positive viewpoint of homosexuality and encouraged gay people to resist discrimination and persecution. Despite a limited monthly circulation of only a few thousand, the magazine influenced the substance, character, and tone of the early American gay rights movement. This book is a collection of letters written to the magazine, a small number of which were published in ONE, but most of them were not. The letters candidly explore issues such as police harassment of gay and lesbian communities, antigay job purges, and the philosophical, scientific, and religious meanings of homosexuality. Craig M. Loftin is Lecturer in American Studies at California State University, Fullerton. He is the author of Masked Voices: Gay Men and Lesbians in Cold War America, also published by SUNY Press. __Collection of letters written to the first openly gay magazine in the United States.__Long before the Stonewall riots, magazine—the first openly gay magazine in the United States—offered a positive viewpoint of homosexuality and encouraged gay people to resist discrimination and persecution. Despite a limited monthly circulation of only a few thousand, the magazine influenced the substance, character, and tone of the early American gay rights movement. This book is a collection of letters written to the magazine, a small number of which were published in , but most of them were not. The letters candidly explore issues such as police harassment of gay and lesbian communities, antigay job purges, and the philosophical, scientific, and religious meanings of homosexuality. “[a] remarkable book ... about gay and lesbian life in the 1950s and ’60s.” — "Long before the Stonewall riots, One magazine -- the first openly gay magazine in the United States -- offered a positive viewpoint of homosexuality and encouraged gay people to resist discrimination and persecution. Despite a limited monthly circulation of only a few thousand, the magazine influenced the substance, character, and tone of the early American gay rights movement. This book is a collection of letters written to the magazine, a small number of which were published in One, but most of them were not. The letters candidly explore issues such as police harassment of gay and lesbian communities, antigay job purges, and the philosophical, scientific, and religious meanings of homosexuality"--Page 4 of cover One was the first magazine for gays and lesbians. This book is a compilation of the best of its letters to the editors during the 1950s and 1960s. Through real letters, it brings to life people of the times who were looking for answers to their feelings and drives in a time when even talking about or searching for those answers were taboo and instill fear. Some sought answers, others directions. Biography and self-analysis Love, sex, and relationships Repression and defiance Incarceration Representations and stereotypes.