Books like Beyond the Lavender Lexicon by William L. Leap

A groundbreaking history of gay life in New York City from the 1930s to the 1960s.

A guide for gay men to overcome shame, rejection, and anger, drawing on psychology and personal experience to offer stages of emotional well‑being and tips for authentic living, including updated discussions of marriage and diverse backgrounds.

A comprehensive history of the modern gay, lesbian, and transgender rights movement from the 1950s to today, featuring interviews with politicians, military leaders, legal activists, and community members.

Q & A brings together activists, essayists, artists and scholars to examine how queer identity intersects with Asian-American racial identity, exploring hybridity, multiplicity, and the evolving landscape of LGBTQ Asian-American communities at the turn of the millennium.

Two Spirit People offers a scholarly exploration of American Indian LGBTQ lives, examining traditional gender styles, spirituality, and contemporary challenges.

A photographic journey through late‑1980s America that captures the varied lives of gay and lesbian communities, illustrating their efforts to form families, reconcile faith, and confront both racism and homophobia.

There is more to identity than identifying with one’s culture or standing solidly against it. José Esteban Muñoz looks at how those outside the racial and sexual mainstream negotiate majority culture—not by aligning themselves with or against exclusionary works but rather by transforming these works for their own cultural purposes. Muñoz calls this process “disidentification,” and through a study of its workings, he develops a new perspective on minority performance, survival, and activism.

A groundbreaking book that reveals the shocking problem of anti-gay/lesbian violence.

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.