A Black Queer History of the United States

by C. Riley Snorton, Darius Bost

The first-ever Black history to center queer voices, this landmark study traces the lives of LGBTQ+ Black Americans from slavery to present day

Gender and sexual expression have always been part of the Black freedom struggle

In this latest book in Beacon’s award-winning ReVisioning History series, Professors C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost unearth the often overlooked history of the Black queer community in the United States.

Arguing that both gender and sexual expression have been an intimate and intricate part of Black freedom struggle, Snorton and Bost present historical contributions of Black queer, trans, and gender non-conforming Americans from slavery to the present day to highlight how the fight against racial injustice has always been linked to that of sexual and gender justice.

Interweaving stories of queer and trans figures such
Private William Cathay/Cathay Williams, born female but enlisted in the Army as a man in the mid-1860sJosephine Baker, internationally known dancer and entertainer of the early 20th century who was also openly bisexualBayard Rustin, prominent Civil Rights activist whose well known homosexuality was viewed as a potential threat to the movementAmanda Milan, a black trans woman whose murder in 2000 unified the trans people of color community,
this book includes a deep dive into the marginalization, unjust criminalization, and government legislation of Black queer and trans existence. It also shows how Black Americans have played an integral role in the modern LGBTQ rights movement, countering narratives that have predominantly focused on white Americans.

Through storytelling and other narratives, Snorton and Bost show how the Black queer community has always existed, regardless of the attempts to stamp it out, and how those in it continue to fight for their rightful place in the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Queer, LGBT, Audiobook, Race, Queer Lit

231 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2026

About the author

C. Riley Snorton is associate professor of Africana studies and feminist, gender, and sexuality studies at Cornell University and visiting associate professor of American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. He is author of Nobody Is Supposed to Know: Black Sexuality on the Down Low (Minnesota, 2014).

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"History is more than chains on your ankles and knowing this Black leader and knowing that Black leader, its much more to history than that."

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

This is a good starter book. I would have liked for it to be longer and more indepth than this book was. This is quick fun read. I did find some things i want to explore more in the future like Dr. Pauli Murray who was non gender comforming Civil Rights activist. I had never heard of them but I need to know more.

This book explored all the ways in which Black men and women both cis, gay and trans were not really seen as full people. Black women during slavery and continuing until today are not seen as "real women". The book discusses how often slaves cross dressed to escape slavery and nobody thought anything of it. How gay the Harlem Renaissance was. How the Civil Rights movement sought to be taken seriously by white America by telling Blacks how presenting as heteronormative and omitting any queerness was a way to be seen as fully "American". How the myth of the predatory Black man who poses a threat to innocent white women shapes our world. How AIDS was mishandled because it affected the Black and gay communities. How Black single mothers were blamed for emasculating Black men and forcing them out the family (the government actually did that) and made the face of government waste with the "welfare queen" moniker. How the death a disco was both racist and homophobic.

I also loved that this book called out the double standard within the Civil Rights movement, that MLK could fuck any woman with a pulse and nobody particularly had a problem with it but Bayard Rustin's gayness lead to him being pushed out of the movement.

Respectability politics is lethal to true change.

I mean it's not even 200 pages. I learned a couple of things but I mostly think thos book isn't for history lovers like me. I think its for people who occasionally read nonfiction and since that's most people i still think its a good book its just not for me.

A couple Queer icons to pay tribute to everyday not just during Pride month in June( i think its in February in the UK...right?)

James Baldwin
Bessie Smith
Ma Rainey
Willmer M. Broadnax
Little Richard
Big Mama Thornton
Sir Lady Java
DJ Knuckles
Sylvester


Sidenote: I still fucking hate Eldridge Cleever.

[E Money The Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a far more radical (which is to say correct) take on this topic than I got from Bronski’s Queer History of the US. These two authors (C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost) paint the history as an ongoing struggle, and not just some hurdle of the past thats been settled. Meanwhile Bronski gave mad liberal (derogatory) vibes.

The obvious example coming from each texts interpretation of the Stonewall Riot. You’d swear they were talking about entirely different events!

Anyways I learned a shit load from *this* book. A trans woman who was the pillar of a black neighborhood a hundred years ago. Some POS doctor outs her but the people in the neighborhood respond with a big fat “AND?”

20th century middle class black america tried to copy middle class white america, mainly through priests, business owners, and academics. They were expecting this to be the way to earn their ‘humanity’ in the eyes of white america (it didn’t) and how a big part of how they attempted this was by promoting gender norms and heteronormativity. Yknow, to copy european behavior.

The authors directly quote the people doing this, why they think the strategy of throwing queer or gender nonconforming folk under the bus will be good for black civil rights. The gross limitations of talented 10ths thinking (later Dubois is best Dubois!). But all it sounds like is the tired old strategy we still hear today of loser Centrist Democrats who say things like “we should abandon trans people to win more votes!” “Americans aren’t ready for such radical positions!” before proceeding to run loser candidates that lose.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it.

Wide-ranging, with a huge scope and very good.

[Phillipsbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read! I learned so much! I even learned more in-depth details of people and events that I already assumed I knew the details about. I enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend this to others to become more educated and more knowledgeable about the black & queer communities and movements.

[HANNiBAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be weird to review - because I think this book has great information and is a great resource, but it fully reads like a textbook and so there wasn't a lot of ENJOYMENT in reading this.

As a resource/reference type book though, it's great! There are so many interesting stories about all of these different queer people over the past generations. This book gives you a lot of detail, but just enough where you want to search out other information about them. And this book has a hefty notes/index section because so many great books, movies, albums etc are mentioned throughout the book.

It definitely left me really inspired, as the people mentioned in the book are true heroes. It's almost unthinkable the things that some of these people were faced with and how they were able to rise above. And of course the sacrifice of these people, made it so much easier for black gay men like myself in these times. The ending was very celebratory of how far we've come, but also realistic about all the work we still need to do and what important issues have been left on the backburner through all of these decades.

I liked it, think there is a lot of great information in this book, but it just was maybe too clinical for me. Too textbook like for me to really fully ENJOY it.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did this as an audiobook. The story was good but I had trouble sticking with it due the style of the narrator. While he was speaking there was no emotion in his voice and I think that was why I couldn’t concentrate on the story and why it took so long to get through it. I think it would be quite a good book to read and not do as an audiobook

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first 2026 Black History Month read. I love a book well read by the author. I wanted to read this book in order to learn about a part of history I didn’t have much familiarity with. This book was dense with new information, but clearly laid out and easy to follow.

In this book I learned about:
- the linguistic exploration of the word black and the theme of how it is used in the names of the people featured in the book
- how anti cross dressing laws were connected to Jim Crow, both being used to control minority populations by property owning white men
- So many stories of people just wanting to mind their own business and live their lives, wanting what everyone wants, to live authentically in peace
- the campaign slogans from Joan Jett Blakk in 1992 “Lick Bush” and 1996 “Lick Slick Willy.” I’d love to have one of those bumper stickers.
- The conflicts between heterosexual and queer civil rights activists and how they viewed each other as holding the other back
- the racism in the LGBT rights movement and how segregated groups grew up at the same time
- “Sexuality is never not an expression of power.”
- The authors explore how contemporary black queer authors explore the possibilities for sexual expression during slavery, even though primary sources are rare or nonexistent
- How gender expression helped enslaved people escape by cross dressing to avoid detection, although we don’t have context for how they felt about dressing or living as a different gender
- W.E.B. Du Bois and his concept of the “Talented Tenth” vs his son in law Countee Cullen’s sexuality
- “Jane Crow” coined by Pauli Murray for prejudice against women and gender nonconforming people
- The double standard between civil rights leaders MLK Jr and Bayard Rustin
- Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga, was bisexual, and was maybe in a relationship with Ma Rainey (and also worked and was buried in Philly)
- the Dewey’s protest in Center City, a sit in demanding access to public accommodations for LGBT people

I thought the authors did a great job of balancing celebration, pride, frustration, and struggle. Makes me want to go reread Four Hundred Souls, but I’ll probably smash on to the John Lewis biography next.

Phil Black, Georgia Black, Joan Jett Blakk, Angela Davis, Cathay Williams/William Cathay, William and Ellen Craft, Josephine Baker, Pauli Murray, Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Delisa Newton, Bessie Smith, Lady Java, Ava Betty Brown, Marsha P Johnson, Miss Major Griffin Gracy, Stormé DeLarverie, and more.

[Beauregard Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a lot of great information in it, and I found the tone easy enough to follow and not overly academic. I thought it might be a bit more comprehensive, however, and some of the organizational choices I disagreed with. Still, a great primer!

[Candice Crutchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Black on Both Sides a few years ago in a grad level gender seminar so of course, I’m back to visit the beautiful mind and writing of C Riley Snorton. Alongside Darius Bost, the authors investigate how gender and sexual stereotypes have maintained the color line in the 20th century. With eloquent phrases like Black American’s history of “confining queerness to the racial closet” and an in-depth analysis of the dismissal of prominent Black queer intellectuals in the freedom movement, this is a sociology phd’s dream read! Each chapter takes you on a journey. I learned of pivotal activist moments left out of our civil rights textbooks, including a lunch counter sit in (similar to the Woolworth counter in Greensboro, but led entirely by Black queer youth!!!). The book exposes the historic and ongoing criminalization and further marginalizing of Black queer and trans existence and further highlights the essential roles our Black queer ancestors played despite being relegated to the margins. I finished this one in about 2 days because it was just that fascinating and good. I want to read it again.

[Glenda Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

important and informative book about Black Queer History

[Mario Jovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an easy read and a great introduction to Black queer studies. It focuses on lesser-known figures and continues to center trans people. Each chapter is beautifully organized, although one chapter challenged me and made me have varying thoughts. The research is well-done. I rate it a 4 based on my own expectations rather than the author’s. I own another book called Black Queer and Untold, which delves deeper into each subject matter. This book serves more as an introduction without explicitly stating it. I was under the impression that it would be as deep as the book I mentioned, but it’s more of a beginner’s guide. You can read it in one sitting, which is why I highly recommend it. It provides the necessary information without overwhelming you with challenging words, acronyms, or terms that you may not be familiar with.

[Catalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not black. I'm not gay. This book was great and I learned a bit of history that I didn't already know. After reading it I'm still not black and still not gay (a shame, I know!) I'd like to submit myself as proof that you can read an important and diverse book and enjoy it without *turning* into anything or whatever the bigots say to make themselves feel better about not reading diverse books.
I will admit I didn't read this one physically so I didn't see any photos and I hope there are some in the physical version. Some parts were more dense than others so at times I felt like I was reading an old school textbook and *trauma* so it did affect me a bit there.
All in all I can tell this was very well researched and studied and the passion for the work was felt.

[S B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE perfect book for beginners of queer African American history - not too dense or too detailed and not too extensive. Even so, the most important key events and figures have been mentioned. I can absolutely recommend this book and if you are ready for more in depth research, "Black on Both Sides" by Snorton is a great continuation, highlighting trans and gender nonconforming history of African Americans.

[mieka c! · Rating 4 out of 5]

really educational. i liked how it talked about the linkages with respectability politics. i also like how the author goes into causes and effects that certain events had. they also include public reactions as well and not just facts. interesting to hear different figures thoughts on sexuality through different periods. include the actual names of people that started these movements instead of just “titles” the public gave them.

[Courtney Moore]

I don't really know how to rate a review a history book. That being said it was evident the authors took such care when documenting these histories and I truly appreciated that. I learned a lot and took copious notes.

"In light of the ongoing marginalization of Black queer history in K–12 and higher education curricula, it remains essential for us to create our own histories."

[Evilblacksheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have easily gave this a 4 for the content but the form killed it for me. It's very instructive and a great way to learn on the topic, but the form is extremely academic. I felt like I was reading somebody's thesis and would probably have dropped it had it not be so interesting.

Overall still a worthy read if you're interested on the topic and don't mind the academic tone.

[Hollie]

I learned so much! I had no idea just how prevalent the intersectionality between black lives and homophobia/ transphobia is.

Really informative. A great gift to give a homophobic family member for Christmas 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5

Incredibly well organized and interesting book! Reading about Joan Jett Black stood out to me so much, will be doing a deep dive on her later.

[Becca Clemes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This topic is very important but the prose is genuinely unintelligible. I have to echo the review that stated the prose reflects the style of a disorganized undergrad essay.

[Ashley]

I don’t feel right rating this book about history and the stories of people, so I’m not.

[Malin Kint]

I learned so much, including how limited my current knowledge base is. I could listen to 15 more hours of this and still not be satisfied or have nearly the depth of understanding of the theory behind it that I should.

[Sami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realize how academic this was going to be. It was pretty interesting info, but it felt like I was reading a thesis. Started for one of the challenges in Q1, but finished for pride month.

[Brianna Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been going through a deep dive on queer history, and this was an essential text to include. So much of the history of American queer liberation has focused on gay, lesbian, and trans interest groups as being separate from other groups, such as African Americans.

This book illuminates how short-sided that is, showing the unique struggles that Black queer and trans people have faced living on the intersections of those identities. Their experiences are distinct and separate from the experiences of white queers, and Black heterosexuals. Looking at queer history in America from a specifically Black lens tells a whole story of its own.

I learned a lot reading this book—very grateful for it!

[Toby C · Rating 4 out of 5]

To round out my reading list for Black History Month, I thought it was important to incorporate some nonfiction. If anything, my reading The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin had revealed to me that something that I assumed to be straightforward, namely the US civil rights movement, was more nuanced that I had assumed - and had several viewpoints or desired outcomes from both within and outside the movement. Therefore, it seemed only natural that I explore this topic deeper. I stumbled across this book in my library, and given my lack of awareness both within black and LGBTQ history, it seemed like the perfect choice.

I learned a lot from this book. I learned about how perceptions of gender and sexuality spearheaded and reinforced systems of slavery and oppression. I learned how narratives of non-conforming gender and sexuality that do not follow Eurocentric Christian expectations are all but removed from our early collective US history. And I learned that, despite Black LGBTQ people being at the forefront of all the major political movements focused on Black people, that such people were typically kept at the margins or ostracized altogether.

In particular, I was surprised to learn about the ways that the civil rights movement approached equality and integration. The leaders' messages were that Black people can embody the Eurocentric Christian lifestyles of white people, and therefore were just as deserving of rights. Anything that was not heterosexual, patriarchal, and Christian were threats to the overall movement, as they could be used to reinforce racist stereotypes about Black people. As such, some of the instrumental Black LGBTQ leaders of the movement were ostracized and became casualties of this movement for the greater cause of Black equality and to placate the vocal racist conservatives who fought against progress. This theme would continue in future movements too, as Black LGBTQ people had to fight for their presence in both Black and LGBTQ movements to highlight the issues that were integral to their lived experiences.

It's also interesting the role churches had on the Black community. As a source of homophobia, Black churches were the cause of Black LGBTQ people being ostracized from their own racial communities, and the main cause behind the political rift between Black and LGBTQ people.

My only critique of this work is that somewhat dry nature in which it was occasionally conveyed. This is my main critique of most nonfiction writing in general, so this isn't too much of a detriment. I'd also say that the organization of this book could have been a little clearer. It seemed that we jumped around in time quite a bit, when a more linear, chronological approach could have made things easier. That being said, it's clear that the focus of this book are the lives of certain people, and so it can be harder to discuss their impact without jumping around a bit in time.

Overall, I really appreciated an overview into a topic that I, admittedly, knew very little about. While there is still quite a bit more to learn about this topic, this book has certainly given me an appreciation for aspects of US history that I was otherwise ignorant of. It also specifically names people who have been otherwise removed from history, when they were instrumental in our progress forward as a nation.

[Nina DuBois · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Black Queer History of the United States is eye-opening and meticulously researched, illuminating the profound impact Black LGBTQ+ people have had on politics, culture, art, social movements, and intellectual life in the United States. Snorton traces a lineage that is too often erased, revealing how Black queer and transgender individuals have shaped this country — even when their identities were obscured, suppressed, or punished.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its refusal to separate race, gender, and sexuality. Snorton carefully demonstrates how anti-Black racism and heteronormativity have functioned together, making clear that it is already dangerous to be Black in America — and that Black queer and transgender people have historically faced compounded marginalization, both from dominant society and, at times, within Black communities themselves. The text does not shy away from naming homophobia and transphobia where they have caused harm, even among other oppressed groups.

Snorton examines how Black queer figures in media, the military, religious spaces, and civil rights movements were often forced to conceal their identities. Many were erased once their sexuality or gender identity was revealed. Others were criminalized under sodomy laws, surveilled, institutionalized, or incarcerated simply for existing outside rigid social norms. The policing of gender expression — especially for Black transgender and gender-nonconforming people — is shown to be deeply entangled with state violence and systemic control.

What makes this book especially impactful is its clear connection between past and present. The fight detailed in these pages is not confined to history. The struggles for safety, visibility, and full humanity are ongoing. Black queer and transgender people are still disproportionately affected by violence, incarceration, healthcare inequities, and political attacks — and are often overlooked even within broader movements for racial justice or LGBTQ+ equality. The book deepens the understanding that this fight deserves acknowledgment, protection, and active solidarity.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read Black histories, read histories of LGBTQ+ peoples, etc. but I was interested in a history of Black Queer people. I am aware of conversations regarding Black and LGBTQ+ communities (and Black people who are also part of LGBTQ+ people, LGBTQ+ people who are Black, etc.) but it is not something I am a member of or can speak about, so I was looking forward to this.

From the earliest presence of Black people as slaves to the present day, the authors also look at various individuals and how they expressed their sexuality, gender identity, and more. How this was part of their lives (positive, negative), etc. From Cathay Williams (who joined the Army as William Cathay), to Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin to more current people and movements including Black Lives Matter. These are compiled into relatively short chapters with a conclusion rounding up what the chapter aimed to cover.

There was a lot of interesting information that I did not know, plus it was helpful to have a work specifically focusing on as the cover says, the history of Black Queer people in the US. But I will say that it was very dull. I did not realize I had read another work by Snorton (Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity) and my reaction is similar. Lots of good information but overall the work reads too much like a formal academic paper.

I do certainly think it's worth a read and would not be surprised to see it pop up on college syllabi (it's probably not a HS-level book that may depend). What I very much appreciated is that the authors definitely kept it moving and did not try to dump the entire life stories of the individuals they profile. If this is a topic that interests you and you don't know much about it (like me), it's certainly worth a read.

Borrowed from the library and that was best for me.

[Chichigrrr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reality that quality archival sources of black history in the US are few and far between and will always be deficient because of that history is such a compelling concept to explore. I wish we had dived deeper into it. Instead the authors kept bringing it up here and there, especially at the beginning and end of sections and essays, while the middle felt more like a different book. One that rather dryly summarized the lives of queer black people in history. Despite the college term paper writing (think "In this essay we will show," which is an writing style pet peeve of mine), I still found these sections sprinkled with interesting ideas, especially when discussing the interaction between the fight(s) for queer and black rights. Sometimes working together, sometimes at odds, but always in conversation. This was another really interesting topic I would like to learn more about.

I recognize the difficulty of writing this book, specifically because of the lack of traditional archival sources that could even so much as confirm that the individuals being written about considered themselves queer in the way we think about it now. That simple hurdle of, but wait, would this person claim that label now? Is it ethical to claim them as part of queer history if we don't know? Ugh, so interesting. But there was too much dry recitation of historical events and short bios of people's lives to really get into these cool ideas for me.

[Dorin Drimboi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were connections that were attempted to be made at times that appeared to be two coexisting movements that just paralleled, opposed to intersected. The mere existence of LGBTQ+ people in racial justice movements was used to entwine the fight for Black rights in America with that of LGBTQ+ rights.

As is common with socialist history telling, and where it might fall short at times, is it establishes a framework (of discrimination) and attempts to apply ALL of the story into those confines. It just leaves the stories to be seen from one angle, when many times the story is more multifaceted than what is allowed in socialist history.

Even though it falls short at times, this book accomplishes its most important intentions, which is to shine the light on stories that were once lost, or ignored, by general history books. Looking at a marginalized group that, in the context of this story, has multiple layers of discrimination, has opened a conversation into the struggle of not only Black Americans, but Black Americans that were discriminated in many ways.

These stories have been sacrificed for the progression of each individual fight, and when both struggles exist in tandem within a person, they are sacrificed for the general progression of the specific groups in the eyes of WASP American subculture. Having a place where they can be talked about is essential for the constant struggles this community has, and spreading awareness is the first step to equality.

[Ibby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading A Black Queer History felt like reading a textbook cover to cover. This was a RICH text. I learned so much about the queer community and its most marginalized members. My favorite parts were when Snorton and Bost recounted the stories of specific Black queer people like Joan Jett Blakk, Audre Lorde, and Frankie Knuckles. Everything I care about today in the arts has its origins with Black queer people, and I had no idea. The book made constant reference to queer media throughout, which prompted me to watch Paris is Burning, listen to a reading of Lorde's Love Poem and look up a few of the songs mentioned. I think the beauty of this book for me is that it has given me countless histories to dive into, which based on its final chapter, is exactly what it was trying to do. These stories have been squished into inaccessible spaces simply because of who wrote them, and A Black Queer History has done a great job at bringing them to life, resurrecting them, so to speak.
There were some repetitive and confusing parts to get through. It may be because I haven't read an academic text in a long time, but this book is DENSE. It's only 191 pages long and it feels like reading an encyclopedia. Now that I've finished it, I'll probably use it like one too, given the expansive index in the back. Overall, though, a very worthwhile experience.

[G Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
I found this books really interesting - I knew bits and pieces of black history and queer history in the USA, and the way that the authors brought together all the different stories throughout history showing how interlinked the civil rights and queer rights movements really made me appreciate it all the more. I enjoyed how the book showed the importance of acknowledging the importance of intersectionality when it comes to all rights movements; I was saddened but also not entirely surprised at how many times the civil rights movement threw the queer rights movements under the bus by trying to appeal to White people - something that has happened in other rights movements such as the suffragettes. I thought the books was very well researched and I learned of queer and gender non-conforming people I'd never heard of before. My only reason for knocking off half a star is that I listened to this as an audio book and the jarration was very flat and I found it difficult to fully focus and therefore I don't think I appreciated it as much as I would have had I read it. If I get a chance to get a paper copy of this I would.