Overview

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.

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9781469652214

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Reviews

A wonderful primer for understanding the cultural context of and many important figures in black gay history.--American Literature It's easy to say that Mumford speaks the truth to power throughout Not Straight, Not White--because he does. Yet, a more nuanced treasure that Mumford gifts us with is a methodology for intimacy--to discover how in our closeness, throughout our vulnerabilities, and by articulating our failures we can (and must somehow) arrive at the love we all, each one of us, so desperately need.--CLA Journal Indispensable for those who reject the erasure of black queerness in American civil rights history.--The Guardian The book is an amazing reference that gives historical context of Black America around some of the most taboo subjects in our history.--A&U Magazine

"The book is an amazing reference that gives historical context of Black America around some of the most taboo subjects in our history."""" - A&U Magazine """"Indispensable for those who reject the erasure of black queerness in American civil rights history."""" - The Guardian """"It's easy to say that Mumford speaks the truth to power throughout Not Straight, Not White-because he does. Yet, a more nuanced treasure that Mumford gifts us with is a methodology for intimacy-to discover how in our closeness, throughout our vulnerabilities, and by articulating our failures we can (and must somehow) arrive at the love we all, each one of us, so desperately need."""" - CLA Journal"

It's easy to say that Mumford speaks the truth to power throughout Not Straight, Not White--because he does. Yet, a more nuanced treasure that Mumford gifts us with is a methodology for intimacy--to discover how in our closeness, throughout our vulnerabilities, and by articulating our failures we can (and must somehow) arrive at the love we all, each one of us, so desperately need.--CLA Journal Indispensable for those who reject the erasure of black queerness in American civil rights history.--The Guardian The book is an amazing reference that gives historical context of Black America around some of the most taboo subjects in our history.--A&U Magazine

It's easy to say that Mumford speaks the truth to power throughout Not Straight, Not White--because he does. Yet, a more nuanced treasure that Mumford gifts us with is a methodology for intimacy--to discover how in our closeness, throughout our vulnerabilities, and by articulating our failures we can (and must somehow) arrive at the love we all, each one of us, so desperately need.--CLA Journal The book is an amazing reference that gives historical context of Black America around some of the most taboo subjects in our history.--A&U Magazine Indispensable for those who reject the erasure of black queerness in American civil rights history.--The Guardian

Author Information

Kevin Mumford is professor of history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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