Queer Spirits -

by Will Roscoe

Based on tireless research in the archives of mythology and folklore, Queer Spirits weaves a rich, multicultural tapestry. Selections include everything from Chinese folktales to firsthand accounts of Native American two-spirits to the occasional gay archetypes to be gleaned from nursery rhymes, newspaper clippings, and gay erotica. Among the writers represented are Hans Christian Andersen, James Broughton, Jean Cocteau, Steven Saylor, Samuel Steward, and Walt Whitman. Interspersing these selections is the author's commentary on their meaning, drawing on his own inner journey, beginning with his arrival as a young man in the teeming gay world of San Francisco in the 1970s. The result is a fascinating, often loving testimony to gay spirit that shows how gay men can find the myths and heroes within themselves.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, LGBT, Mythology

Paperback

First published April 26, 1995

Reviews

[Tommy Zoppa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible collection, I am setting this down inspired and so ready to read more.

[Warren Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although I wanted it to go further and deeper into exploring the recurring gay archetypes in mythology, such as the Two-Spirit, the Divine Twins, the figures of Initiation, and the Circle of Loving Companions (334). I wanted to read more about exemplars of these archetypes, such as Pylades and Orestes, Apollo and Hyacinthus, and Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

But, this is an introductory survey,and it is also a guide of sorts. Readers can continue the journey as they will. As a back cover blurb says, this is "A fascinating collection of myths and stories from around the world," which "offers gay men a key to discovering the myths and heroes in their lives."

And, yes, this: "One of the most important testaments yet to the permanence and place of gay men [and women] in the human family..." (Thompson, back cover).

[angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to look at mythology through a LGBT lens. I think it's important to discover that there is a deep rooted history here that transcends many cultures and time periods.

[Wulf Grimsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book on queer spirituality, shame it is out of print