Lonely Hunters: An Oral History Of Lesbian And Gay Southern Life, 1948-1968

by James T. Sears

This is the story of Southern gays and lesbians in the twenty-year span between the end of World War II and the Stonewall Riot that sparked widespread gay rights consciousness. Across the United States, this was an era of courting and cocktail parties, Johnny Mathis and Jack Kerouac, with a Southern culture aptly depicted by Tennessee Williams-genteel attitudes and behavior covering, in a thin veneer, baser passions just barely contained. But this veneer was developing cracks that would soon divide society in hotly contested battles over race, sexuality, and gender.In Lonely Hunters , James Sears, noted gay writer, academic, and media commentator, has compiled the real stories of gay men and lesbians who were raised in the social hierarchy of the South and who recall their coming of age when the status quo of American society as a whole was on the cusp of great upheaval. Most notable, of course, was the battle being waged for the civil rights of blacks, but another, less visible battle was also taking place-that of cultivating gay identities, peer groups, and a subculture no longer hidden by Southern convention. Though maintaining social stature was important for many gay men and women at the time, accomplished by hiding their identities through so-called Boston marriages and the common arrangement of gay couples living in duplexes and posing as heterosexual partners, others had come out of the closet and were beginning to work for gay rights. It is the real lived experiences of participants in these pivotal social transitions that are collected here. The people and stories collected here are the parents of today's gay rights movement, and the message is clear-gays and lesbians, and the rest of us, have come a very long way.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Queer, Gay, Southern, Biography Memoir

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 1997

Reviews

[Leigh Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am appreciative of this work, but it is uneven and at times can become a pretty heavy slog. I need to admit I am a retired history prof born in 1944; so, I do have to express regret that the subtitle calls this "an oral history." The oral part is not central too many chapters in the book, which seem to be more a ponderous plodding "history" based on written sources that tend to be long quotes from written sources with connecting words by the author, generally shorter than the quote of what could easily have been written in the authors language, which especially in the introduction and initial chapter have a charm and ability to draw the reader into the basic atmosphere of the time, if you were alive during that time through brief references. The "Southern Life" part was misleading to me as a native Mississippian because everything was geographically anchored from D.C. to Miami;so, southern Atlantic coastline is more accurate. The true focus is on Charleston and Miami. Lastly on the subtitle, the longest chapter in the book is about individuals involved in the Civil Rights movement, which is meritorious, but you go for pages on a local history of the civil rights movements actions, etc. and being gay plays no significance. There is a brief bit on the unique place of gays visa v. the North Carolina civil rights movement in the '60s, which should be the focus.
Now that I crabbed about the subtitle, this is also from the mid '90s, so a bit dated and by a sociology professor who is retired from the College of Ed at USC, and has lived in coastal Carolina, specifically Charleston for quite awhile. He knows Charleston well, and even carries a bit of Charleston attitude.
Interestingly, there is a chapter on an intersex Charlestonian who was part of the Charleston aristocracy, though she refers to herself as transsexual, thanks to John Money (if you don't know who he is, check him out). I have been to Charleston and this rings true for upper class LGBT Charleston.
And a personal slight, Mississippi seems to be the pit of hell for Dr. Sears, because hard times become " the Mississippi law of Hillsboro," and Miami becomes the "The Mississippi of the homosexual." Ah, no, this happened in Florida and Florida has no shortage of rednecks and bigots in my experience. So, own it!
To end on a positive note, it is quite good on the founders of the Mattachine Society, though not true oral history, and referred to as a homophile society throughout, which gives a rather arcane feel. Yes, that is what they called themselves, but it is ok to update the term at some point. Can't help but wonder if many of the founders would be members of the Log Cabin Repubs.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was both great and frustrating. It was good because I didn't know much of the what was said in there and I don't know where else you'd get this information. And the Chapel Hill chapter was simply great.

However four out of the seven chapters are about Florida, which while obviously an important state in queer history at this time, is not really typical of a southern state now or at the time. The author should have made a book just about Florida during this time. He also has a hard time stringing together any kind of cohesive narrative which makes following the stories he's telling in each chapter incredibly difficult. The final chapter jumps back and forth in time with no warning and with little theme.

While I'm glad I read it, in all fairness it's a story of Florida, with some interludes about Chapel Hill, Charleston, and DC, and is far from a history of southern life during these times.