Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago’s LGBTQ Archives

by John D'Emilio

The variety of LGBTQ life in Chicago is too abundant and too diverse to be contained in a single place. But since 1981, the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives has striven to do just that, amassing a wealth of records related to the city’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified people and organizations. In Queer Legacies , John D’Emilio—a pioneering scholar in the field—digs deep into Gerber/Hart’s collection to unearth a kaleidoscopic look at the communities built by generations of LGBTQ people. Excavated from one of the country’s most important, yet overlooked, LGBTQ archives, D’Emilio’s entertaining and enthusiastic essays range in focus from politics and culture to social life, academia, and religion. He gives readers an inclusive and personal look at fifty years of a national fight for visibility, recognition, and equality led by LGBTQ Americans who, quite literally, made history. In these troubled times, it will surely inspire a new generation of scholars and activists.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer, History

212 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2020

About the author

John D'Emilio is a professor emeritus of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.A. from Columbia College and Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1982, where his advisor was William E. Leuchtenburg. He was a Guggenheim fellow in 1998 and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow in 1997 and also served as Director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force from 1995 to 1997.

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Queer Legacies is a book important not for what it is but for what it will hopefully produce.

John D'Emilio is one of the preeminent queer histories: he has spent decades writing on and discussing little known stories from the past. In Queer Legacies, John D'Emilio, a Chicago resident, dives deep into the Gerber/Hart archives, LGBTQ archives in Chicago, and takes readers on a road trip through the past. Each chapter in this collection is short and, for the most part, very shallow. What the book does well is display just how expansive and multifaceted queer activism has been in Chicago: from activist groups in nearly every religious denomination to bisexual and transgender groups, Chicago has a history of lively gay activism.

But where Queer Legacies fails is in its accounts of these organizations and moments. Each chapter - there are 33 - is only a few pages long and only discuss the papers found in the archive. D'Emilio doesn't do any interviews or additional research outside the archives, even though many of the people mentioned are almost certainly still alive. And this is why this book is important: though it says little, it builds a gate for future research into these fields by researchers who are interested in taking the time to actually get to know the subject matter and discuss it at length.

[Nicolas Lontel]

Une anthologie de très courts textes (environ 4 pages) sur des personnes et organisations dont les archives se retrouvent à la Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, un centre d'archive LGBTQ à Chicago.

Il s'agit d'une introduction intéressante sur la pluralité des archives de cette organisation et un récit, très partiel intentionnellement, des luttes LGBTQ à Chicago, mais aussi au niveau national aux États-Unis. Ça donne vraiment l'impression d'un amuse-bouche pour en lire davantage sur le sujet (la présence d'un chapitre complet sur de plus amples lectures qui explorent plus en profondeur les différents sujets abordés dans le livre confirme cette impression) ou même aller explorer les archives de nous-même.

[Jas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of a lot of small stories but I personally was not a fan of how it was organized. I would have gotten more out of the book if the essays were organized and grouped in a way with consistent themes. Instead, all of the possible themes and connections were quickly summarized in the Afterward. I think because of the way it was organized, a lot of the information didn't actually stick, and while I get the benefit of having a book where you can have flexibility in when and how you read, the style didn't work for me, and often times, the essays left me with more questions. I almost wish there were fewer chapters/essays and a deeper dive into a few of these moments of Chicago's LGBTQ history.

[K Kriesel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't go as deeply as I had anticipated. Not only were some important details left out but I also wondered a few times how D'Emilio could've missed a few things - for example, not knowing that Vatican II made all Catholics say Mass in the vernacular rather than in Latin.

That being said, I've been wanting to learn more about queer Catholic history in Chicago and this book has some great information on names, dates, organizations, leaders, and pushback. I'll probably add a copy to my own personal library just for that

[Aces Lira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming sample of Chicago’s Queer History, a “chicken soup for the soul” edit if you will. I appreciated getting the range of chapters that were quick reads and touched on so many topics. Closed the book with a well rounded takeaway on politics, education, religion, etc. My only qualm was finishing each chapter wanting more.

This read made me proud and inspired to contribute to Chicagos Queer Legacy and will probably take up some of the recommended readings that Emilio offered in closing the book.

[Rob Pick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author introduces the stories of many important (in their own way) activists and trailblazers. It would be nice to have been able to go deeper on each person as some of the reviewers note, but I appreciate having learned about so many strong, brave and authentic individuals.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is composed entirely of quite short, two to three pages, essays about people and organizations with records in Chicago's LGBTQ archives, this is yet another well-written and stimulating book by John D'Emilio.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good I guess. A little disjointed at times.

[Payton Kiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED reading these little stories! made me want to go out and make some queer chicago history of my own

[Leah Paliakas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for gay Chicago

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked this more if it was pitched as a reader instead of a spilling from the archives. This book details a few stories of queer history in Chicago and provides a quick summary on them and a bit about the people involved. I feel like this had the potential to be more interesting if more time was spent highlighting the nuances of identity, struggle, and lived experiences of people that were highlighted in this book. The author claims to show a “vantage point” of this moments in queer history but they feel more like a readers digest summary to catch people up really quickly on events in queer history. I wish this book took the time to educate and describe things in depth. I feel like people just starting out on their journey into understanding queer history would enjoy this though!

[DANI! · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘queer legacies’ is a book of fascinating essays, which focus on the history of queer liberation in chicago during the mid-late 20th century. it was incredibly interesting reading about solidarity within communities i didn’t know existed.

the most important aspect of this work, for me, is that the gerber-hart library archives have now become accessible thanks to d’emilio. even though there is so much to be found within the archives, i was most interested by the few pieces that told personal stories of significant and historical LGBTQ+ individuals and their struggles.