Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis (The John Hope Franklin Series in African American History and Culture)

This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times—from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism—helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. In locating the rise of black gay identities in historical context, Kevin Mumford explores how activists, performers, and writers rebutted negative stereotypes and refused sexual objectification. Examining the lives of both famous and little-known black gay activists—from James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin to Joseph Beam and Brother Grant-Michael Fitzgerald—Mumford analyzes the ways in which movements for social change both inspired and marginalized black gay men. Drawing on an extensive archive of newspapers, pornography, and film, as well as government documents, organizational records, and personal papers, Mumford sheds new light on four volatile decades in the protracted battle of black gay men for affirmation and empowerment in the face of pervasive racism and homophobia. Bonnie and Vern Bullough Book Award Winner, Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality A Stonewall Honor Book in Nonfiction, American Library Association Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Round Table Finalist, Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, The Publishing Triangle Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, LGBTQ Studies, Lambda Literary "This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times--from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism--helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. In locating the rise of black gay identities in historical context, Kevin Mumford explores how activists, performers, and writers rebutted negative stereotypes and refused sexual objectification. Examining the lives of both famous and little-known black gay activists--from James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin to Joseph Beam and Brother Grant-Michael Fitzgerald--Mumford analyzes the ways in which movements for social change both inspired and marginalized black gay men. Drawing on an extensive archive of newspapers, pornography, and film, as well as government documents, organizational records, and personal papers, Mumford sheds new light on four volatile decades in the protracted battle of black gay men for affirmation and empowerment in the face of pervasive racism and homophobia"--Jacket Recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times - from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism - helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. Kevin Mumford explores how activists, performers, and writers rebutted negative stereotypes and refused sexual objectification. This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the time - from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism - helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. Introduction : corrections 1 Losing the March Untangling Black pathology Payne and pulp The limits of liberation The disavowal of Brother Grant-Michael Fitzgerald In the life of Joseph Beam The last crises of James Tinney Mobilizations and memorials Epilogue. Carrying on