Long Journey to Stonewall: An Illustrated History

Nancy C. Unger, Ph.D., Professor of History, Santa Clara University

Though tremendous gains are being made in revealing the long, rich, colorful, heartbreaking and inspiring history of LGBT people in the United States, often that history is reduced to the Stonewall Riots or, especially here in California, the life and martyrdom of Harvey Milk. This illustrated presentation highlights the documented presence of people acting on same-sex desires as early as the 1600s, actions surprisingly well-tolerated within their communities. We’ll follow the transformation of women’s “romantic friendships” into “Boston Marriages,” before the medicalization of homosexuality and the widespread “Beware the Lesbian!” campaign made loving relationships between women suspect.

August 12, 2014