Radically gay : the story of gay liberation in the words of its founder

as Early As 1948 Harry Hay Began Pursuing His Vision Of Forming An Organization, The Mattachine Society, Devoted To The Welfare Of Gay People. Hay Was The First To Propose The Idea Of Gay Men And Lesbians As A Cultural Minority, The Very Basis Of The Gay Movement Today. For The Last Fifty Years, He Has Grappled With Each New Wave Of Cultural And Political Thought And Synthesized Agonizing Contradictions From Spirituality To Marxism, From Art To Politics. This First Collection Of Hay's Own Words - Speeches, Papers, And Interviews - Offers Invaluable Insight Into The Vision Of One Man Who Made It Possible For Millions To Live In Freedom And With Self-respect. publishers Weekly in 1950, Hay And Fellow Activists In Los Angeles Founded The Mattachine Society, A Pioneering Homosexual Rights Group That Helped Lay The Groundwork For Contemporary Lesbian/gay Activism. This Collection Of Hay's Essays, Talks, Pamphlets And Manifestos Reflects His Insistence That Gays Are A Cultural Minority With Shared Values, Psychological Orientation, Historical Heritage And Modes Of Communication. This Perspective Flowed From Hay's Research Into French Renaissance Fool Societies, Which Staged Public Plays Spiked With Political Satire And Gender Reversal, And Into The Native American Berdache, A Practice Whereby Men Live As Women (or Vice Versa) And Combine The Work And Social Roles Of Both Sexes While Being Recognized As A Distinct Third Gender. In 1979, Hay And Others Launched The Radical Faerie Network, Providing Support Groups And Emphasizing Gay Spirituality To Counter Urban Depersonalization. His Pointed Critique Of Homophobia And His Exhortations To Gays Seeking Self-acceptance Make This Collection Especially Timely. Roscoe, Who Has Taught Anthropology And Native American Studies At The University Of California, Provides A Useful Introduction As Well As Commentaries On Each Selection. Translation Rights: Jed Mattes. (june) "Activist, author, teacher, and visionary Harry Hay is an American original. He has left his mark on some of the most significant social and cultural movements of the twentieth century, from trade unionism to New Age spirituality. But it is Harry Hay's role in launching the Lesbian/Gay liberation movement that has earned him a place in history. As early as 1948 Harry Hay began pursuing his vision of forming an organization, the Mattachine Society, devoted to the welfare of Gay people. Hay was the first to propose the idea of Gay men and Lesbians as a cultural minority, the very basis of the Gay movement today. For the last fifty years, he has grappled with each new wave of cultural and political thought and synthesized agonizing contradictions from spirituality to Marxism, from art to politics. This first collection of Hay's own words--speeches, papers, and interviews--offers invaluable insight into the vision of one man who made it possible for millions to live in freedom and with self-respect"--Book jacket Gay Liberation in the Words of Its Founder This is the first collection of the words and speeches of the founder of the Mattachine Society and the modern gay movement, and "provides wonderful glimpses into Hay's evolution from Marxist pedant to shamanic faerie elder."