A Passion to Preserve: Gay Men as Keepers of Culture

by Will Fellows

From large cities to rural communities, gay men have long been impassioned pioneers as keepers of rescuing and restoring decrepit buildings, revitalizing blighted neighborhoods, saving artifacts and documents of historical significance. A Passion to Preserve explores this authentic and complex dimension of gay men’s lives by profiling early and contemporary preservationists from throughout the United States, highlighting contributions to the larger culture that gays are exceptionally inclined to make.

Genres: LGBT, History, Queer, Nonfiction, Preservation, Gay

298 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

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Reviews

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of the introductory essays were more interesting than the contributions. The best contribution was from Mark Doty, one of my favorite authors, but was just a reproduction of some of his previously published work. It was also the first contribution, leaving the rest dull in comparison.

The book tries both too hard and very weakly to proclaim its focus on gay men, even those who "played both sides" and might have been more accurately described as bisexual and/or queer. Haven't we moved past Havelock Ellis and a conceptualization of gay men as lonely inverts and dandies? Some of the contributions were downright trite and irritating in their disdain for lesbians, especially when paired with homages to straight women as the natural allies of gay men based on a spurious notion of innate love of beauty. The book also completely breezes by pervasive white gay male racism, not acknowledging why it might be troubling to be enamored with plantation mansions or slave quarters or to be the forces of gentrification in poor neighborhoods of color.

It's too bad, really. This could have been a better book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the sixth book I read while sheltering in place. If the subject of how gay men are drawn to historical preservation interests you, you will enjoy this book. Much of this text is based on interviews conducted by Fellows with gay men committed to nursing sad, neglected historic houses, and other things, back to their former beauty. These men tell their story, and it's all charming. My personal favorite was the man with thirty-five vintage Frigidaire washing machines in his basement. There are many intriguing characters here and engaging stories I enjoyed reading this and I learned a few things.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by the gender-nonconforming roles of gay men that he interviewed in his prior work, "Farm Boys," Fellows explores the role of gay men (and their similarities to straight women) in the work of historic preservation. He provides theories for why gay men are drawn to preserving architecture and other cultural forms. While his conclusions are based on inference rather than direct scientific testing, this book is an important documentation of the role of gay men in our society. Whether his theories will stand the test of time and research in sociology and psychology remains to be seen, but the mere documentation is vital for preserving for future generations the lives and roles of gay men and contemporary perceptions of them. It was a fun read too!

[lindsonmars · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength of this book is the anecdotes from gay men who clearly love these places they have devoted themselves to, in many cases their homes. While I am reluctant to concede to any arguments of gendered traits and proclivities, in the vein of "girls and gay men love pretty things," Will Fellows does a fine job of presenting his case that there is something instinctual about the desire to preserve historic architecture. The stories themselves are lovely and compelling, and I enjoyed this book.

[R.Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Fellow's style is that of telling many anecdotes to illustrate his points, and he does this very well. This book makes the case that it is women and gay men who work to preserve historical buildings, documents, and artifacts that keep our culture safe. It's a beautiful book that brings to our attention something that most of us have never thought about and helps us to know a little better the gay individuals among us.

[Grey Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too true.