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ilaeria's review
5.0
This was an excellent collection of essays, well-organised into a lose timeline from the late 19th century to the present, focusing mainly on Australia but with some detours to NZ and USA as well. I picked this up when I saw it on the LGBT+ collection shelf at my library, and then realised it was perfect for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2018 #22 - "An essay anthology".
A few chapters in particular really resonated with me - Chapter 7, "Musicals Are Gay" was a very interesting look at the stereotypical trope of gay men liking musicals; Chapter 9, "Womin Loving Womin" contained insight into intimate relationships between women in the context of anti-heteronormative, smash-the-patriarchy feminism; and Chapter 12, "HIV/AIDS Activism in Transnational Context" really brought home for me how the terrible US healthcare system combined with rampant homophobia exacerbated the AIDS epidemic in the US.
Obviously because of the nature of the collection, there's a lot of discussion of homophobia and violence against the LGBT+ community, so read at your own risk if that may be upsetting for you.
A few chapters in particular really resonated with me - Chapter 7, "Musicals Are Gay" was a very interesting look at the stereotypical trope of gay men liking musicals; Chapter 9, "Womin Loving Womin" contained insight into intimate relationships between women in the context of anti-heteronormative, smash-the-patriarchy feminism; and Chapter 12, "HIV/AIDS Activism in Transnational Context" really brought home for me how the terrible US healthcare system combined with rampant homophobia exacerbated the AIDS epidemic in the US.
Obviously because of the nature of the collection, there's a lot of discussion of homophobia and violence against the LGBT+ community, so read at your own risk if that may be upsetting for you.
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