The Gay and Lesbian Movement : References and Resources

An annotated bibliography of research and critical resources on the movement, with some 1,900 entries divided into three sections on foundations and philosophies, 1864-1939; years of hiding and resistance, 1924-1968; and from gay liberation to AIDS, 1969-1993. Contains entries on national organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, ACT UP, and Queer Nation, as well as sections on marches on Washington, the NAMES project, and regional communities. For researchers, activists, and students. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

This bibliography cites nearly 2000 works dealing with topics ranging from the origins of the modern homosexual rights movement in Germany (1864-1939) to the awakening movement in the United States (1924-68) up to the post-Stonewall period (1969-93). Librarian Ridinger (An Index to the Advocate: The National Gay Newsmagazine, 1967-1982, Liberation, 1988) covers monographs, dissertations, and popular and scholarly periodical articles in the current work. While he has done a commendable job of including citations to such regional publications as Boston's Bay Windows and the Washington Blade, among others, a disproportionate number of the citations derive from the Advocate. Also, this reviewer was unable to identify any citations from popular lesbian magazines such as Denueve (now Curve) or the now-defunct Visibilities, although historical lesbian publications such as the Lesbian Tide and the Ladder are cited. A list of publications (or at least periodicals) cited would have been helpful. A 42-page index rounds out the volume, a useful addition to a growing field. Recommended for research libraries.?Ellen Greenblatt, SUNY at Buffalo
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An annotated bibliography featuring some 1,900 entries, and one of a series on American social movements produced by G. K. Hall, The Gay and Lesbian Movement is a comprehensive resource whose scope covers some 130 years. Author of several bibliographies and an associate professor in the University Libraries at Northern Illinois University, Ridinger states his purpose as an "attempt to provide an outline to unify scattered fragments of the social history of local gay and lesbian committees of the United States into a coherent whole." Through this work, that goal is achieved.

As reflected in the table of contents, entries are divided into three primary sections with many subdivisions. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay and a list of references. Chapter 1, "Foundations and Philosophies, 1864^-1939," concentrates on the movement in Germany, paying particular attention to such individuals as nineteenth-century civil rights activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, and Magnus Hirschfield, who in 1897 founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee. Within this chapter, the reader will also discover the genesis of the terminology carried to the U.S.: homosexuality and heterosexuality.

Chapter 2, "Years of Hiding and Resistance, 1924^-68," addresses the beginning of the gay and lesbian movement in the U.S. through the post^-World War II period. It is here that references to the use of the Pink Triangle as an icon, and the impact of the military draft on gays and lesbians, can be found.

Chapter 3, "The Song of Stonewall: From Gay Liberation to AIDS, 1969^-93," documents the galvanizing of the gay and lesbian community following the riot that occurred at Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Also located in chapter 3 is a section of interview references. This is the only section in which entries are listed alphabetically by name, and it includes a wide range of individuals, such as Bishop John Spong, singer Cris Williamson, former president Jimmy Carter, activist Jimmy Foster, and author Sally Gearhart. A partial list of national and regional sources for gay and lesbian history is also provided.

Resources include monographs, dissertations, and articles from both popular and academic periodicals. Of special note is the author's inclusion of information provided by local and regional gay and lesbian presses. The numbered descriptive entries, some 100-plus words in length, are in chronological order within area or region or within time periods determined by events such as the demonstrations in Washington, D.C., the creation of the AIDS quilt, and the existence of organizations such as the Daughters of Bilitis, the Homophile Movement, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and the Human Rights Campaign Fund. The index cites entry numbers, not page numbers, and does not provide access to material in the introductory essays.

As the tapestry of information provided takes form through Ridinger's introduction and essays, as well as through the annotations themselves, a rich and detailed history filled with both fact and affect is revealed. Though the book is intended to facilitate research for the writer or historian, the potential audience actually seems much broader. A community often "invisible" to librarians, gays and lesbians of any age are hungry for accurate and well-documented material. This reference, with its comprehensive coverage and accessible style, would surely be a valuable addition to high-school and public as well as academic libraries.