Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South - Hardcover

Sears, James T.

  • 3.95 out of 5 stars
    22 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780813529646: Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0813529646 ISBN 13: 9780813529646
Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2001

Synopsis

While Scarlett O'Hara may resemble a drag queen, and Mardi Gras inspires more camp than a gay pride parade, the American South also boasts a rich, authentic and transgressive gay and lesbian history. In this chatty, free-ranging cultural survey, Sears (Growing Up Gay in the South) presents a vivid kaleidoscope of the mores and political activities of many gay Southerners following the 1969 Stonewall riots and leading up to the 1979 march on Washington. Sears unspools this history through portraits of activists and community organizers including Merril Mushroom, Jack Nichols, Lige Clark, Vicki Gabriner, Minnie Bruce Pratt and Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch who helped shape the social and political climate below the Mason Dixon line and often in the rest of the country. While giving a nod to historic events like Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign, Sears focuses more closely on obscure but important local political events, like the founding of the lesbian journal Sinister Wisdom, the emergence of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance and community response to a deadly firebombing that killed 31 patrons in a New Orleans bar in the mid-1970s. Sears's multifaceted approach pays off when he sketches such relatively unknown players as comedian Ray Bourbon and radical fairy Faygele ben Miriam, and he conveys well the complexity and intensity of the political activity of the decade. While not as historically conclusive or theoretically astute as John Howard's masterful Men Like That (2000), Sears provides a panoply of emotionally riveting snapshots that aptly portray Southern gay experience in the 1970s. B&w photos.

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About the Author

James T. Sears is the award-winning author or editor of twelve books, among them Growing Up Gay in the South and Lonely Hunters. He is currently a visiting professor at Harvard University. Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones is the second of a projected multivolume work on queer southern life.

Reviews

While Scarlett O'Hara may resemble a drag queen, and Mardi Gras inspires more camp than a gay pride parade, the American South also boasts a rich, authentic and transgressive gay and lesbian history. In this chatty, free-ranging cultural survey, Sears (Growing Up Gay in the South) presents a vivid kaleidoscope of the mores and political activities of many gay Southerners following the 1969 Stonewall riots and leading up to the 1979 march on Washington. Sears unspools this history through portraits of activists and community organizers including Merril Mushroom, Jack Nichols, Lige Clark, Vicki Gabriner, Minnie Bruce Pratt and Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch who helped shape the social and political climate below the Mason Dixon line and often in the rest of the country. While giving a nod to historic events like Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign, Sears focuses more closely on obscure but important local political events, like the founding of the lesbian journal Sinister Wisdom, the emergence of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance and community response to a deadly firebombing that killed 31 patrons in a New Orleans bar in the mid-1970s. Sears's multifaceted approach pays off when he sketches such relatively unknown players as comedian Ray Bourbon and radical fairy Faygele ben Miriam, and he conveys well the complexity and intensity of the political activity of the decade. While not as historically conclusive or theoretically astute as John Howard's masterful Men Like That (2000), Sears provides a panoply of emotionally riveting snapshots that aptly portray Southern gay experience in the 1970s. B&w photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.



Hippie communes, lesbian publishing collectives, drag pageants, gay bars: these are the marginalized, collective, and personal histories to which Sears (Lonely Hunters) pays homage in his second volume of a projected multivolume work on queer Southern life. The Sixties and early Seventies were a turning point for queers as for other minorities, ending their isolation and making it possible for them to see themselves as communities and individuals with inherent civil rights. Think drag isn't political? Sears points out that it was a misdemeanor to wear "clothing belonging to the opposite sex" until the 1970s in some jurisdictions. While Sears's effort is commendable, this work is not an easy read, with innumerable names and details peppering a sprawling narrative. Nevertheless, this volume is recommended for large, specialized collections on LGBT life and Southern social history. Ina Rimpau, Newark P.L., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Rutgers University Press
Publication date
2001
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0813529646
ISBN 13 
9780813529646
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
420
Rating
  • 3.95 out of 5 stars
    22 ratings by Goodreads