Long Road to Freedom: The Advocate History of the Gay and Lesbian Movement

by Mark Thompson

The emergence of the gay and lesbian community in the last quarter century has confronted America with what has become the new civil rights movement of the nineties, as millions of gay people assert their right to live as decent American citizens without the fear of persecution and discrimination. Since 1967 - two years before the Stonewall Riots, usually seen as the beginning of gay liberation - The Advocate has been the nations publication of record for the gay community. From its humble beginnings as a newsletter covering Southern California's homosexual subculture to its prominence today as a newsmagazine read around the world, The Advocate has mirrored the astonishing growth of the community it's served. Now the remarkable history of the modern gay and lesbian movement - a quarter century of rebellion and reform, tragedy and triumph - fills the hundreds of pages of news, photographs, essays, cartoons, and interviews culled from The Advocate. From first-person accounts of the Stonewall Riots to the tragic last day of Harvey Milk's life, from the crisis of AIDS to the controversy over outing, the milestones of the movement are presented as they happened, along with accounts of the lighter side of gay life, from disco divas to the politics of drag. Each year is introduced by a distinguished gay or lesbian historian or movement leader. Martin Duberman, Lillian Faderman, Allan Berube, Felice Picano, Urvashi Vaid, Joan Nestle, John Preston, Torie Osborn, and Randy Shilts are among those interpreting this revolutionary movement that has affected millions of people across the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Queer, Gay, LGBT, Historical, Activism

420 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Mark Thompson is an American writer, editor and activist. His work centers around gay issues, particularly spirituality.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say if you don't know your history then you are bound to repeat the mistakes. Or you remain ignorant of what your forebears went through so you can have the freedoms you do now. That seems to be truly the case with the LGBTQ community which seems to easily take for granted all the positives of 2018. Reading this book one truly sees the long road that was paved by those who gave their blood, sweat, and tears for what the LGBTQ community now has.

What a fascinating read through the history of the LGBTQ movement. This book chronicles the years 1967 to 1992. During those twenty-five years, the gay rights movement went through a lot of growing pains with strides made and losses accumulated. To see where things have unfolded since 1992 makes reading this book interesting because the reader gets to see how the first fights over marriage equality and the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell began. The reader gets to see how the AIDS epidemic decimated the lives of many, but also thrust others into the roles of advocacy, activism, and leadership. The reader gets to see how far Hollywood has come in the portrayals of LGBTQ characters in movies and television. The reader gets to see the censorship, the harassment, the discrimination, the hatred and bigotry gays and lesbians have dealt with since the 1960s.

This book has so much detail and information. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is because I wish the pictures had been in color, but other than that, this is a worthy read and a nice book to add to anyone's collection.

[John Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was understandably a hard book to read. Yet, at the same time, heartening . For each step of progress the LGBTQI+ community takes forward, there are those that take us back. Both outside the community, and inside.

While reading about the Sixties and Seventies, it was like reading a story, and knowing what is to come. If things were bad before, they got worse in the Eighties.

But, there were delights in the book. Gay marriage, gays in the military, etc. Also, some of the pieces made me laugh.

This is one of the books that I think all LGBTQI+ people should read. You can't know what to do now, unless you know the past.

[Wendell]

Contributed chapter, "Maud’s last stand: Rikki Streicher closes “the world’s oldest lesbian bar” and an era ends."