The Queerness of Home: Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Domesticity after World War II

In the postwar United States, LGBTQ people reshaped domestic life by creating connections, challenging conventions, reimagining architecture, and contesting boundaries. Stephen Vider's book "The Queerness of Home" reveals how the home became a charged space in battles for social and economic justice, remaking possibilities for home life for everyone.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 21 January 2022
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In his groundbreaking book, "The Queerness of Home," Stephen Vider delves into the profound ways in which LGBTQ individuals have reshaped domestic life in the postwar United States. While the history of queer and trans politics has traditionally been focused on public activism, Vider takes us on a journey that reveals the equally significant role of the intimate spaces within homes in shaping the LGBTQ experience.

Beginning in the 1940s, LGBTQ activists recognized the home as a vital space for connection, care, and cultural inclusion. They embarked on a challenging quest to defy the norms of marriage, challenge gendered expectations in everyday labor, reimagine domestic architecture, and contest the boundaries of kinship and belonging based on race and class.

By retelling LGBTQ history from the perspective of the home, Vider unveils the surprising ways in which these spaces have become charged battlegrounds for social and economic justice. He demonstrates how LGBTQ individuals not only forged new forms of community and culture for themselves but also reshaped the possibilities of home life for everyone.

Through vivid anecdotes and insightful analysis, "The Queerness of Home" offers a fresh perspective on the history of LGBTQ rights and activism. It challenges the notion that the struggle for equality was solely confined to the public sphere and emphasizes the importance of understanding the domestic dimensions of the LGBTQ experience.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in LGBTQ history, social justice, and the power of the home to shape our lives. It provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of LGBTQ identities and experiences.

Weight: 460g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226808369