Books like Creating change by John D'Emilio

Explores the grassroots fight against the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York, detailing the rise of ACT UP, the fight for affordable treatment, and the lives of activists and patients who demanded medical progress and civil rights.

A powerful and insightful exploration of the struggle for disability rights, featuring stories of individuals and families fighting against discrimination and societal prejudice.

An updated sociological study of the global gay and lesbian movement, examining its rise, strategies, human‑rights gains, AIDS activism, and cultural nationalism amid New Right opposition.

A groundbreaking biography of Bayard Rustin, a pivotal figure in the African American civil rights movement and an important figure in gay history during the mid-20th century.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal issues concerning gender and sexual nonconformity in the United States. Part One, which covers the years from the post-Civil War period to the 1980s, is a history of state efforts to discipline and punish the behavior of homosexuals and other people considered to be deviant. During this period such people could get by only at the cost of suppressing their most basic feelings and emotions. Part Two addresses contemporary issues. Although it is no longer illegal to be openly gay in America, homosexuals still suffer from state discrimination in the military and in other realms, and private discrimination and violence against gays is prevalent. William Eskridge presents a rigorously argued case for the "sexualization" of the First Amendment, showing why, for example, same-sex ceremonies and intimacy should be considered "expressive conduct" deserving the protection of the courts. The author draws on legal reasoning, sociological studies, and history to develop an effective response to the arguments made in defense of the military ban. The concluding part of the book locates the author's legal arguments within the larger currents of liberal theory and integrates them into a general stance toward freedom, gender equality, and religious pluralism.

E. Marcus’s revised *Making History* traces five decades of gay civil‑rights activism in the United States, drawing on more than 60 real‑life stories to chart the movement’s rise from early struggles to national recognition.

A comprehensive analysis of the homophile movement in the United States, from 1940 to 1970.