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Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants
In this vibrant new history, Phil Tiemeyer details the history of men working as flight attendants. Beginning with the founding of the profession in the late 1920s and continuing into the post-September 11 era, Plane Queer examines the history of men who joined workplaces customarily identified as female-oriented. It examines the various hardships these men faced at work, paying particular attention to the conflation of gender-based, sexuality-based, and AIDS-based discrimination. Tiemeyer also examines how this heavily gay-identified group of workers created an important place for gay men to come out, garner acceptance from their fellow workers, fight homophobia and AIDS phobia, and advocate for LGBT civil rights. All the while, male flight attendants facilitated key breakthroughs in gender-based civil rights law, including an important expansion of the ways that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act would protect workers from sex discrimination. Throughout their history, men working as flight attendants helped evolve an industry often identified with American adventuring, technological innovation, and economic power into a queer space.
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 25, 2022
This is a model monograph: a detailed, informative, and historically compelling narrative that investigates the men who challenged gender norms by entering into the profession of air stewards/flight attendants, from the 1930s to the present. (The book was published in 2012.)
It's true that I am something of an ideal reader for Plane Queer: a gay historian who has taught courses on Queer American Life. Moreover, I am the product of an airline household - my mother a stewardess in the 1950s, until upon marriage she was forced to give up her career, and my father a life-long employee of TWA, who spend much of his employment as a manage and trainer of ground services. Having had something of a front-row seat into the aviation industry for much of my life, I was fascinated to read Tiemeyer's excellent account of the way in which male flight attendants battled the sexism of American society and of national and international airlines, until they were ultimately allowed to succeed in a career that was well attuned to their interests and personalities.
It's true that I am something of an ideal reader for Plane Queer: a gay historian who has taught courses on Queer American Life. Moreover, I am the product of an airline household - my mother a stewardess in the 1950s, until upon marriage she was forced to give up her career, and my father a life-long employee of TWA, who spend much of his employment as a manage and trainer of ground services. Having had something of a front-row seat into the aviation industry for much of my life, I was fascinated to read Tiemeyer's excellent account of the way in which male flight attendants battled the sexism of American society and of national and international airlines, until they were ultimately allowed to succeed in a career that was well attuned to their interests and personalities.
May 30, 2017
This was fascinating! I thought it was going to be a very narrow topic, but the book touched on so many things and painted a very rounded picture of the history of male flight attendants.
Not being American, most of the content was new to me - e.g. the murder of William Simpson, its depiction in the media and the introduction of the "homosexual panic" defence; how Diaz vs. Pan Am improved the workplace for both men and women, who no longer had to "retire" upon marriage or reaching 32 years of age; the rise and fall of unions and the benefits they negotiated; how industries responded to employees with AIDS (send them home on full pay, even though they're perfectly able to work); the "demonisation" of Gaetan Dugas as "the man who brought AIDS to North America", and how AIDS actually came to North America; the way airlines reached out to LGBT communities once they realised they were missing out on a potentially-lucrative market; the impact of September 11, 2001; and the story of Steven Slater (the JetBlue flight attendant who quit by sliding down the emergency slide), emblematic of flight attendant and customer service personnel's frustration with the job.
Really interesting; I learnt a lot!
Not being American, most of the content was new to me - e.g. the murder of William Simpson, its depiction in the media and the introduction of the "homosexual panic" defence; how Diaz vs. Pan Am improved the workplace for both men and women, who no longer had to "retire" upon marriage or reaching 32 years of age; the rise and fall of unions and the benefits they negotiated; how industries responded to employees with AIDS (send them home on full pay, even though they're perfectly able to work); the "demonisation" of Gaetan Dugas as "the man who brought AIDS to North America", and how AIDS actually came to North America; the way airlines reached out to LGBT communities once they realised they were missing out on a potentially-lucrative market; the impact of September 11, 2001; and the story of Steven Slater (the JetBlue flight attendant who quit by sliding down the emergency slide), emblematic of flight attendant and customer service personnel's frustration with the job.
Really interesting; I learnt a lot!
February 7, 2021
Overall, quite an academic read. Very interesting to see the ups and downs of queer aviation workers since planes first took flight, leading to their status today. Oh yeah and how important unions have been and still are for workers.
July 17, 2025
Lots of historic detail and scope written with an engaging narrative style that's pleasant to read. Even if you've never found yourself wondering about queer history or aviation history, you'll enjoy this book!
August 29, 2020
Very academic but still a good read
July 2, 2014
On its surface, the history of the male flight attendant looks like a niche topic for a narrow market. However, Tiemeyer has done a wonderful job of showing how the airline steward fits in with broader rights struggles of the 20th century. This is absolutely worth reading for anyone interested in women's rights, gay rights and history, civil rights, labor relations, HIV/AIDS, the history of aviation, pink collar jobs… The list goes on.
I first heard about the title during an interview with the author on Michaelangelo Signorile's XM show. Tiemeyer did a wonderful job selling the book, mostly discussing the Gaetan Dugas controversy from "And the Band Played On." In short, the characterization of French-Canadian flight attendant Dugas as the man who brought AIDS to the Americas was completely false and a salacious misrepresentation that had a very mixed political legacy. As a fan of the movie, I found this fascinating; I wish Tiemeyer had been able to track down friends and family who'd known the real Gaetan for an interview.
Beyond Dugas, though, the history of the flight steward dates from the 1930s and has been a reflection of the outer boundaries of the society and times ever since. Initially, all flight attendants were white men, but during and after the second World War, the job became dominated by white women. Male stewards never really disappeared completely, though to gain employment on most airlines they eventually had to sue for the privilege under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. I have seen few cases so well and concretely laid out of the real ways in which gender-based employment discrimination hurts men and women. Race, gender, and sexual identity all intertwine to determine perceptions of who should have access to these jobs and how the people in them are treated. From the initial civil rights victories of the 1960s and 1970s, we move on to the AIDS crisis and cultural backlash of the 1980s to the gradual acceptance followed by an erosion of airline profits and labor rights in the economic downturn of the early 2000s. I found the last couple decades of history covered less interestingly than the first several, but nonetheless, this is a history absolutely worth reading, whether or not you've ever considered reading a book about flight attendants. Additionally, I can't wait to pick up several of the books Tiemeyer mentions, whether on the history of AIDS activism, the history of female flight attendants, or the cultural shifts of the 1980s.
I first heard about the title during an interview with the author on Michaelangelo Signorile's XM show. Tiemeyer did a wonderful job selling the book, mostly discussing the Gaetan Dugas controversy from "And the Band Played On." In short, the characterization of French-Canadian flight attendant Dugas as the man who brought AIDS to the Americas was completely false and a salacious misrepresentation that had a very mixed political legacy. As a fan of the movie, I found this fascinating; I wish Tiemeyer had been able to track down friends and family who'd known the real Gaetan for an interview.
Beyond Dugas, though, the history of the flight steward dates from the 1930s and has been a reflection of the outer boundaries of the society and times ever since. Initially, all flight attendants were white men, but during and after the second World War, the job became dominated by white women. Male stewards never really disappeared completely, though to gain employment on most airlines they eventually had to sue for the privilege under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. I have seen few cases so well and concretely laid out of the real ways in which gender-based employment discrimination hurts men and women. Race, gender, and sexual identity all intertwine to determine perceptions of who should have access to these jobs and how the people in them are treated. From the initial civil rights victories of the 1960s and 1970s, we move on to the AIDS crisis and cultural backlash of the 1980s to the gradual acceptance followed by an erosion of airline profits and labor rights in the economic downturn of the early 2000s. I found the last couple decades of history covered less interestingly than the first several, but nonetheless, this is a history absolutely worth reading, whether or not you've ever considered reading a book about flight attendants. Additionally, I can't wait to pick up several of the books Tiemeyer mentions, whether on the history of AIDS activism, the history of female flight attendants, or the cultural shifts of the 1980s.
August 12, 2016
It has been a great week for reading. Just finished Phil Tiemeyer's Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013). The book looks at the history of male flight attendants and how they were understood by airlines and the general public. The study allows Tiemeyer to discuss issues of sexuality, identity, gender and AIDS in a way that is sensitive and informed. Too often studies of sexuality and gender reify the very concepts they want to critique, but Tiemeyer's use of language and research makes this an important and thoughtful book.
I did not know that male flight attendants were the norm up until World War II and that female attendants only came later. Using case studies based on litigation in various courts Tiemeyer brings to life an important story that has been overlooked. Especially fascinating is how revisits the story of Patient Zero (Gaetan Dugas) pairing the mythology of his life with the story of another HIV+ flight attendant. For anyone interested in queer history, the history of masculinity or gender and sexuality, or the history of flight this would be an important book
I did not know that male flight attendants were the norm up until World War II and that female attendants only came later. Using case studies based on litigation in various courts Tiemeyer brings to life an important story that has been overlooked. Especially fascinating is how revisits the story of Patient Zero (Gaetan Dugas) pairing the mythology of his life with the story of another HIV+ flight attendant. For anyone interested in queer history, the history of masculinity or gender and sexuality, or the history of flight this would be an important book
August 23, 2015
So much of this book is really great, and I can see why it gets so much positive attention from queer historians. I especially enjoyed the first few chapters about the 30s-50s, and the later chapters about the AIDS years. Tiemeyer's discussion of how changes in airplane technology caused shifts in the flight attendant corps was wonderful, and I learned a lot from his analysis of the Gäetan Dugas/"Patient Zero" story. The middle chapters, I thought, were a bit weaker, especially his discussion of how gay liberationists responded to the growing gay male presence in the flight attendant profession. Overall, though, it's an important history, and a fun read.
December 6, 2013
A great overview of the history of men in cabin crews, with a particularly interesting and important segment on HIV/AIDS. Tiemeyer tackled Shilts' 'Patient zero' character smear, and also tied his research in fantastically well with disability history and the fight for disability rights. A highly intersectional look at cabin crews, gender, race, ability status, and sexuality.
March 22, 2013
I'm tearing through this gorgeous, thoughtful overview of queer men in the flight industry. A seminal work of gay lore.
July 26, 2013
Started it, got bored , may go back to it thinking it might get more interesting going into the 70s
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews