20th Century Lesbian History in the United States   Tags: feminist, herstory, history, lesbian, queer studies, women's studies  

The following list consists of archives, libraries and museums related to Lesbian History in the Unites States. 

20th Century Lesbian History in the United States:

A Pathfinder

Labrys image created by: C. Curfiss

Primary source material in print form that will be helpful in the study of lesbian history in the United States.

• Katz, Jonathan. ed. . New York: Meridian Book, 1992.Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A.: A Documentary History

            This book is a collection of primary source documents pertaining to LGBTIQ history.  It contains many sources specific to lesbian history.

• Martin, Del and Phyllis Lyon. Lesbian/Women. Volcano, California: Volcano Press, 1991.

           Martin and Lyon were both founders of the Daughters of Bilitis and the periodical the Ladder.  This book captures the development of  the lesbian rights movement and lesbian culture in the US from the 1950s through the 1980s.

• Tobin, Kay and R. Wicker. The Gay Crusaders. New York: Arno Press, 1975.

            This work gives first person accounts of the Gay Men's and Lesbian Liberation movements.  The book notes well the division between gay men and lesbians during the 1960s and 1970s.  The accounts are mostly focused on the east coast of the US. 

Secondary source material in print form that will be helpful in the study of lesbian history in the United States.

• Adam, Berry. The Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement. New York: G.K. Hall and Company, 1987.

            While this book covers general queer history it also gives focus to the development of lesbian right's organizations, specifically.

• Carter, David. Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revoltution. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004.

             The Stonewall Rebellion was made up of more than just lesbians but this work does a good job of illustrating the role lesbians played in the uprising.

• Gallo, Marcia. Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement. New York: Carrol and Graf   Publishers, 2006.

            An excellent account of the development of the first US lesbian rights organization, the Daughters of Bilitis.

• Inness, Sherrie. The Lesbian Menace: Ideology, Identity, and the Representation of Lesbian Life. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 1997. 

            The book discusses the development of the meaning of  being a lesbian in the 20th century US.

•   Kennedy, Elizabeth, L. & Davis, Madeline, D. Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge, 1993.

             This work is an account of the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the 1930s through the 1960s.

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