Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History

Though largely neglected in classrooms, LGBT history can provide both a fuller understanding of U.S. history and contextualization for the modern world. This is the first book designed for university and high school teachers who want to integrate queer history into the standard curriculum. With its inspiring stories, classroom-tested advice, and rich information, it is a valuable resource for anyone who thinks history should be an all-inclusive story.

Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History offers a wealth of insight for teachers. Introductory essays by Leila J. Rupp and Susan K. Freeman make clear why queer history is important and provide global historical context, showing that same-sex sexual desire and gender change are not new, modern phenomena. Teachers in diverse educational settings provide narratives of their experiences teaching queer history. A topical section offers seventeen essays on such themes as sexual diversity in early America, industrial capitalism and emergent sexual cultures, and gay men and lesbians in World War II.

Contributors include detailed suggestions for integrating these topics into a standard U.S. history curriculum, including creative and effective assignments. A final section addresses sources and interpretive strategies well suited to the history classroom. Taken as a whole, Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History will help teachers at all levels navigate through cultural touchstones and political debates and provide a fuller knowledge of significant events in history.

More about the book

Leila J. Rupp and Susan K. Freeman, eds. Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History, (University of Wisconsin Press, 2017) 2nd Ed. Hardcover & eBook.

Editors

Leila J. Rupp is Professor of Feminist Studies and Associate Dean of Social Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she holds affiliated appointments in history and sociology. A historian by training, she has published widely on sexuality and women’s movements. Her books on sexuality include Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women (2009); Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret (2003), coauthored with Verta Taylor; and A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Sexuality in America (1999).

Susan K. Freeman is Associate Professor and Chair of Gender and Women’s Studies at Western Michigan University. She is the author of Sex Goes to School: Girls and Sex Education before the 1960s (2008). Her current research examines the development of gay and lesbian studies classes beginning in 1969, and she regularly teaches LGBT Studies and other courses addressing the politics and history of sexuality.