Len & Cub: A Queer History

by Meredith J. Batt, Dusty Green

Leonard "Len" Keith and Joseph "Cub" Coates grew up in the rural New Brunswick village of Havelock in the early 20th century. The two were neighbours, and they clearly developed an inseparable relationship. Len was an amateur photographer and automobile enthusiast who went on to own a local garage and poolhall after serving in the First World War. Cub was the son of a farmer, also a veteran of the First World War, a butcher, contractor, and lover of horses. Their time together is catalogued by Len’s photos, which show that the two shared a mutual love of the outdoors, animals, and adventure. Photographs of Len and Cub on hunting and canoe trips with arms around each other’s shoulders or in bed together make clear the affection they held for each other. Their story is one of the oldest photographic records of a same-sex couple in the Maritimes.

Len & Cub features Len’s photos of their life and tells the story of their relationship against the background of same-sex identity and relationships in rural North America of the early 20th century. Although Len was outed and forced to leave Havelock in the 1930s, the story of Len and Cub is one of love and friendship that challenges contemporary ideas about sex and gender expression in the early 20th century.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, LGBT, Biography, Queer, Canada, Gay

192 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not stop reading this. They were both born pre-1900. Neighbors in the small town of Butternut Ridge (aka Havelock), New Brunswick, Canada. There are about 30 pictures of them together that don't really leave much doubt they are more than 'just friends'. But that simple arm-wrap of a boyhood friend can mean anything, right?

Len is an amateur photographer, and his family bought a Folding Kodak, to which the teen Len take a liking to. Len is in his early 20's and Cub is in his late teens when the pictures show a closeness that led this book to be written.

Len got conscripted (Apr 1918) into WWI and left for England in June 1918. Cub could have waited, but he volunteered in May 1918 and arrived in the same town of Seaford England. Both went to France in October, but the armistice came in November.

At home, their time together continued (Len's family had car and a hunting cabin and land enough to find quiet places). But into their 20's (Cub) and 30's (Len) and no girl can get the small town talking.

My only qualm is that it is written like a large wiki article. You know: bit of a summary up front. Then perfect sequential data chapters with excellent references. Some personal notes by the authors, but nothing speculative that can't be supported by data.

It is heartbreaking enough in the initial summary when you read about Len being outed and needing to depart in mid-life. (I had tears in the preface!) I think this book could have been written with more of this summary/conclusion held strictly until the end. The early pictures and the obvious bond they have would have CRUSHED me (in a way I like reading) at the end of the book once you read about Len being outed. Maybe the 2nd edition of this book will move that preface to the end, and just let me get totally hooked on these two guys.

The research is top-notch. No speculations are given without also giving full clarifications of what was going on in society at that time (religious feelings; the Klan; alcohol/dry-town; competitive business markets). Besides the ~30 pix of them together, there are another 90 pictures in the book, that add support/knowledge of family, work place, other young men in town, or just pix of Len and Cub on their own/with-others.

I found multiple nonfiction resource books in the appendix to add to my TBR list.

I'm glad I took a chance on this book and bought a copy. You know this EXACT story is still happening today.

4.5 round up. 0.5* subtract strictly for too much conclusion too early in the book' preface.

[Kevin Kindred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic contribution to the queer history of the region.

I recall an argument with a history professor, twenty-five years ago now, about an article that I thought drew too many inferences from indirect evidence. Her retort was something like "If you aren't willing to read the unwritten histories in photographs and artifacts, then you'll only every know the history of people who had the privilege of documenting their stories."

This book made me think back to that argument. The authors are very clear about how much of the story they have to read into the scant documentary evidence. And yet, how else will we ever expect to discover queer history, the stories of people who could never honestly document their feelings? This book breathes life into the existing evidence, and gives the reader a palpable and plausible story of queer life in rural New Brunswick.

[Daniel Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book, telling some queer history that would have been forgotten if not for a few amazing people.

Len and Cub, were they each other's boyfriends, friends who loved each other? Who knows?

Amazing photos too (care of Len and his sister)

[Kevin Warman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batt and Green are deserving of so much praise for their preservation of Len and Cub. Each photo and chapter gleam light into their lives, but evoke countless more questions for the reader.

[Alex Parra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queer stories matter! Wild how this gay relationship in New Brunswick, Canada is well documented through photographs from the early 1900s. Great research project/book and a good reminder to never take our rights for granted.

[Adam Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tad slow and repetitive, but overall really powerful and informative story about queer experiences in the early 1900’s, in New Brunswick, Canada

[Kj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Len & Cub is love story written in images and in-between words, formed from an archived 1910-1930s photo collection from rural New Brunswick, Canada.

Like Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s by Nini and Treadwell, we have historical queer love depicted through photographs. However, archivists Meredith J. Batt and Dusty Green were able to go beyond the photographs taken by amateur photographer Len Keith, providing historical and regional context for what the photos can and cannot say.

Batt and Green do an excellent job identifying the limits of what they could learn about Len and Cub's lives while providing comparative examples of what may have occurred and also leaving open what can only be known by those who were there.

The research they've done is an invaluable add to this collection of photos, but as the authors themselves surely know, it's the pictures that are the real story. The causal yet carefully crafted photos taken by a small town guy who loved photography, loved the outdoors, and loved his neighbor Cub are breathtaking: intimate, joyful, and radically rare for their time.

Len & Cub's story is one to treasure, especially as told through how they chose to represent themselves.

[Jolabrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book and the effort of the archivists who brought this story forward are phenomenal. The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because I would have liked to have something about how, before Butternut Ridge this was and is Mi’kma’ki.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing find - now I want to see all of the photos in the collection.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful dive into queer history in the early 20th century. The authors set the backdrop perfectly for the photos to really shine and tell the story of Len & Cub. They’ve taken the photos passed down (and re-discovered) and turned them into a beautiful photo essay that gives us a glimpse into life in rural New Brunswick from the 1900s to the 1930’s or so, delivering insights into how queer folks navigated their way in the world during these times.

[Matty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely to read some local LGBQTIA+ history.

[Craig Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Len & Cub: A Queer History by Meredith J. Batt and Dusty Green told the story of Leonard Keith and Joseph “Cub” Coates, two New Brunswickers in a same-sex relationship who lived over a hundred years ago. Len (on the right on the book cover) and Cub lived in rural New Brunswick where life as a queer person must not have been easy. One couldn’t live as an out couple a century ago. This may explain why Len and Cub never lived together, as prying eyes in a small town might have made life uncomfortable or even unbearable. Even so, Len’s gay life was discovered and he was banished from his own town. Cub, on the other hand, escaped scrutiny and later married a woman.

I am glad the authors framed the men’s relationship in the context of their time, revealing what gay life was like over a century ago. Before the concepts of queer identity, pride, and the idea of a ranging spectrum of sexual orientations or expressions, men with same-sex desires lived in the closet, surrounded by shameful descriptors and epithets such as pervert and deviant. Even the term homosexual wouldn’t have been in widespread use back then. Gay people lived in secret. Batt and Green made sure the modern reader didn’t paint their relationship with 21st century rainbow hues. They took great care in using the appropriate language to describe the couple, and I am glad to report that the authors weren’t preachy about it, as I know queer authors tend to be when it comes to labelling and identity.

Len was an avid photographer and documented their time together, and the book was filled with photos. When you look at some of these photos, many of which were taken using an automatic timer, you can see the intimacy they shared. There are self portraits of them embracing and holding hands. Both men served in World War One and soldiers were prohibited from carrying cameras, however some pictures were included when both men were in training in Quebec before being shipped overseas.

The authors noticed that Len and Cub are each wearing rings on their left ring fingers. Len is wearing a ring on the book’s front cover, yet Cub’s left hand is covered by Len’s. Could they have formed their own personal bond with the rings? The authors didn’t elaborate how the men might have explained these rings to other people. I am sure that Batt and Green would have been as curious as I was in knowing how Len and Cub might have answered any questions about their rings.

Judging from some of the photos, however, I can’t help but think that surely Len and Cub’s family and friends knew about their relationship. The authors dealt with the possibility that the men lived an open secret which everyone tolerated, if for no other reason than Len came from a prominent family who owned multiple businesses around town. Thus if any customers raised a disapproving voice, they’d soon find themselves at a loss for service. The authors believe that a business rivalry did Len in, where a competitor outed him, the effect of which was so traumatic that he was forced to leave town–and Cub–forever.

[Brett Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of cultural significance to New Brunswick’s queer community. LGBTQ+ historical sources and resulting archival records are exceedingly rare, and it is refreshing to read a book that documents and centers the relationship of a queer couple in rural New Brunswick during the early 20th century. I can’t help but think of the evidence of other LGBTQ+ stories and lives that were either destroyed by ignorance, lost to time, or simply never documented or disclosed. Thank you for this contribution to Canadian - and more specifically Maritime - queer historiography.

[Michelle Chisholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been picking away at this one for a while, a bedtime couple-o-pages read. I love/hate this story for its honesty about living queer in NB, and for the perseverance of queerness in this province. Well-written and researched. Way to go Doosty. So proud of everything you do - an idol for advocacy for our (and every other) generation. 🩷

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my heart 💗

[Valérie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly laid out and contextualized account of queer history in new brunswick

[Samuel Luther · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @ 26%

nah. not for me. too woke? too unacademic? feels like a high school history project done in a slipshod manner? idk. rolled my eyes some. 2 stars for the pictures.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

a treasure in any queer New Brunswickers collection

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful read and charming story of a love lost in history. While sometimes the authors present conclusions that are not really complete and rely on perspectives of the States, which despite proximity, share very different histories, it gave great clues into the men’s together and apart.

[François Lizotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads fast. Very fast. And it leaves you wanting more… This story matters and deserves its place in our collective queer history. It’s very unfortunate how there’s so little known and to share about Len and Cub.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batt & Green construct the history of two men from rural New Brunswick based on a collection of photographs that were donated to the archives. It is a fascinating approach to reconstruct the history of people who would otherwise have disappeared from our cultural memory.

“Throughout history criminal charges of sodomy and buggery have been difficult to prove, as they require evidence that penetration and ejaculation have occurred. By 1892, the buggery law had proven so ineffectual that the crimes of gross indecency and indecent assault were adopted in order “to correct’ a shortcoming in common law, which did not criminalize homosexual acts such as fellatio and mutual masturbation. The language used to pursue gross indecency charges avoided mentioning specific acts, which left it open to interpretation on a case-by-case basis, but it was understood by police and lawyers to be a means of criminalizing homosexual sex and affection and would not be repealed until 1985. Two men kissing would not have been considered buggery, but it could have been considered gross indecency.” 24

“Ironically, the fact that men and women operated in distinctly segregated social spheres inadvertently provided space for same-sex romantic friendships to develop without intense scrutiny as to why two men or women might be spending so much time together…Be it German military recruits in 1910 who weren’t concerned with ‘talk of homosexuality, they just did it,’ 13 discreet middle-class gay New Yorkers posing as ‘normal’ men, or queer boys from the American south who ‘did not sit around and have intellectual conversations about being gay…[y]ou just did it, and didn’t do too much speculating.” 14”65

“In Tim Retzloff’s study of gay life in post-First World War Flint, Michigan, “Cars and Bars: Assembling Gay Men in Postwar Flint, Michigan,” he notes that the significance of the automobile for same-sex desire, particularly in rural communities, cannot be overstates. 1 For gay men living away from city centres, automobiles allowed visits to bars and cruising areas in town, but in Len’s case, no such places are known to have existed within driving distance of Havelock at the time. Cars and roads not only acts as pathways to queer desire, they could also be used as locations for sex. Increased mobility allowed men seeking sex with men to drive to remote locations or park on the side of back roads to escape prying eyes.” 71

“A theory prevalent among sexologists at the time was that homosexual attraction occurred due to ‘accidental absences.’ 3 Boarding schools are a prime example of ‘accidental’ absence of the opposite sex (or what was a deemed the ‘natural object’), and therefore likely to create same-sex desire among students.” 76

“As historian Jason Crouthamel states, “the war did not create homosexual behaviour, but rather this environment facilitated relations between homosexual men who were otherwise repressed before the war.” 27” 104

“A 1914 ragtime song by Irving Berlin, “He’s a Devil in His Own Home Town,” exemplifies Len and his pool hall perfectly, as if it had been written about him:
He’s got a reputation in the village,
Known as a dude, a gosh darn dud
He would never do in New York City
But in his home town.
He’s a devil, he’s a devil
He’s a devil in his own home town.7” 116

“Gossip, hearsay, and subtle subterfuge are, by their very essence, hard to quantify, let alone prove. However, unlike in a court, where the burden of proof is on the accuser, outing someone in the court of public opinion transfers that burden to the accused.” 139

“However, by the time the Second World War began, the army wished to create a strong force of dominant men who were not just physically but also mentally fit, and it established the Directorate of Personnel Selection to oversee this. In 1942, the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps came up with a classification system called PULHEMS (physique, upper body, lower bodily functions, hearing, eyesight, mental capacity, and emotional stability) to help identity psychiatric disorders, among other issues, and this system labelled homosexuals as psychopathic individuals in need of treatment. 3 The trouble was that there was no consensus on the part of the physicians carrying out the physical and mental examinations on how to identity a homosexual.” 148
Tim Retzloff, “Cars and Bars: Assembling Gay Men in Postwar Flint, Michigan,” in Creating a Place for Ourselves: Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community Histories, ed., Brett Breemyn (New York: Routledge, 1997): 243” 184

31. “Court Martial of the First World War,” Library and Archives Canada, Military Heritage, digitized records for Emile Charette (RG1590-Ministry of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada, Series 8, File 649-C-32586, Microfilm Reel Number T-8659, Finding Aid Number 150-5, image 4413-4424” 186

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I became aware of this book when I saw the story of Len and Cub being developed for a six-part CBC TV series. In the 1980s, 14 old photo albums were purchased at an estate sale by John Corey. He had been a friend of Len and his family and donated the albums to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Most of the photos were taken by young Leonard (Len) Keith, who was an amateur photographer. They show early pictures of the village of Havelock, thirty miles from Moncton, where I lived for many years. There were photos of the Keith family in the early 1900s, but most interesting were the numerous poignant and affectionate photos of Len with his neighbour in Havelock, Joseph (Cub) Coates. When Corey donated the albums to the archives, he remarked that many of the photos were of Len and Cub together, who he described as 'boyfriends.' These scores of photos seem to show a deep love between the two young men at a time and place when homosexuality was met with strict legal penalties, denial of job opportunities, and social exclusion and disdain.

Two researchers working in the archives were interested in SLGBTQ+legal and social history in Canada and the struggle for equal human rights. As researchers Dusty Green and Meredith Batt poured over the photos and searched for any references they could find, they were encouraged to publish a book on their findings. I found it jarring that both writers identified as 'Queer' rather than using the term 'Gay.' In 2015 Dustin founded the Queer Heritage Institute of NB. Its purpose is to preserve the history of gay people in the Maritimes and their endeavour to achieve equal human rights. Meridith is its president.

Len came from a successful family in Havelock. This gave him the advantage of having a camera at an early age and having access to the family car, the first in that rural area of NB. His photos show that he and Cub benefited from the motor vehicle by seizing many opportunities to be alone. Photos show the two young men's excursions tenting, hunting, using the Keith family cabin, and picnicking in the countryside. Both men served overseas in WW1, and Len became the owner of a garage and pool hall. Cub, from a farming family, worked as a butcher and with race horses. Their idyllic time together ended, and in 1931 Len was hounded out of Havelock for being a homosexual. He never returned, settling in Quebec. Cub remained in Havelock and enlisted in WW2. Before going overseas, he married a woman who worked as a nurse in Moncton, where the couple lived when he returned from war.

The photos in the book were wonderful, but the filling in of the men's lives, both separately and together, includes much speculation on the writers' part. Words like 'possibly,' 'probably,' and 'to fill in the blank' suggests educated guesswork. The many photos from the early 1900s are wonderful, and the little-known history of changes in Canadian penalties and laws was admirable, as were their lists of labels given to LGBTQ people through the years. I am still baffled by their preference for the Queer label. The history of Havelock was well done, along with photos more than a century old.

[Joyce]

- super easy to read, i finished it in two sittings, it satisfies the same nosy part of me that likes gossip and looking through high school classmates new girlfriends instagrams and reading virginia woolfs girlfriends husbands brothers boyfriends wifes nephews wikipedia. i also have no doubts about the depth and difficulty of the research. but this book truly is written like a seventh grade textbook. pretty unpolished. not my favourite
- kinda repetitive when speculating about len and cub, fine to interesting when elaborating on historical context. some assumptions also make me raise an eyebrow: "the surviving images of len suggest he had a kind and gentle nature" like huh? this type of addition is unnecessary imo
- i know there are no preserved letters between len and cub but i wish this book had more primary sources. like are there any letters to their families? i want something to know their voices by instead of only summaries by the authors. the limited bits of writing we do get to see are so fun: "my room mate is a fellow about like jack. you can talk to him and have him looking at you and when you get done he will ask you what you said." "this is jim, the thing i have out here with me. he is better looking than this." like come on he is so funnyyy show meeeee
- i am being too harsh though. i did learn things from this book and i wasnt ever tempted to put it down
- i find small towns very compelling. the way people operate in them, the attitudes they adopt... the insularity, the intimacy, the conditional acceptance of deviation... want to learn more about small towns
- thinking about how much of the past is lost to us, and how much of it is hidden in plain sight. and the way we interpret small gestures and expressions as through lines to our own experiences. and the care we can feel for two remarkably ordinary people from a faraway time and place, like picking up two random shells from a rocky shore, preserved by chance alone... somewhat related but its nice to see the resurgence of physical media among young people. dont keep your stuff only on icloud, stash your physical receipts, frame your photos, etch your proclamations of affection into clay tablets, etc etc

[Christina Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

My aunt recently sent me a package of old photographs spanning the better part of a century. Enigmatic black and white photos of distant, unnamed relatives piqued my curiosity. Who were these people calling out to me, withholding secrets of lives lived and the hints of stories once present and bold now silenced in time. I know the journey into genealogy to be fraught with frustration; partial information and false leads can make the act of simply finding one’s kin difficult; uncovering and establishing their stories is even more challenging, if not impossible.

And so, I can only imagine the journey that was sparked when Dusty Green discovered photos of Len Keith and Cub Coates in the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. This collection of black and white photos, mostly taken by Len Keith are spectacular for their representation of life in rural NB in the early twentieth century, but they are even more remarkable for their honest documentation of something far more rare: Len and Cub’s same-sex relationship. That these photos existed and survived to find their way into the archives is rather miraculous and constitute an important piece of Queer history. Green and his co-author, Meredith J. Batt, through their thorough research present realistic theories for the actions of Len, Cub, and the townspeople of Havelock.

Though the book focuses on the story of Len, I would also like to draw attention to the different technologies featured in the book: from the advent of personal cameras and accessible photo development, to the introduction of the automobile. I can’t help but wonder how much these new technologies helped in expanding upon notions of freedom and the exploration of the idea of self, leaving space for the development of a forbidden love. And the authors point out how Len having access to a car gave him the ability to pursue a hidden relationship away from prying eyes. The camera gave them the means to document this time together, showing a greater awareness of self in relation to others. “Len & Cub” is a captivating read that conveys the power of photography.

[Emily Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Len & Cub is the story of two men who grew up in rural New Brunswick together who engaged in a romantic relationship in a time where homosexuality was not allowed. Documented by the photographs that Len took, this story is a nice mix of text and photos to tell a story that otherwise may have been missed if it hadn’t been for these photos.

This book was interesting to me because a lot of the photos speak for themselves. I could look at the photos and almost feel the relationship that these two men had, and learning bits about their lives helped to further the notation that I had developed. The fact that these photographs were taken, and then further passed along for another almost 100 years is crazy to me. These photographs represent a time that is not well documented in terms of queer history, especially in rural New Brunswick, so having read this book and viewed the pictures with them was a pleasure.

I sometimes found it hard reading this book because there is some speculation as to the lives Len and Cub led and there were not always hard details. But I also have to remember that Len and Cub were not famous people of their time, and that there really is not a whole lot to go off of for details. So speculation is almost needed to fill in the blanks, which made a lot of sense to me when I thought about this.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in queer history, but also specifically local people as it a story close to home. This book reads very well but is also very informative and has text citations, so if you are someone who likes to explore further and/or learn as you go this is a great read for that.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Len's sister, Lucy, passed away in 1984, her estate was put up for auction. Included in the auction was a large collection of family photographs which were purchased by Havelock, New Brunswick, local John Jacob Corey. He donated the photographs to the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick in 2011. Most of the pictures were taken by Len and were of Len and his friend, Cub. John Jacob described Len and Cub as "boyfriends", which was illegal when the pictures were taken and the relationship happened in the 1920s and 1930s.

This book tells the story of Len and Cub. Ultimately Len was "outed" in the 1930s and forced to flee Havelock, never to return. Cub seems to have been unscathed and eventually married a woman and lived out his days in Moncton. In addition, the book describes the consequences of same-sex relationships at that time.

Lots of Len's pictures are included in the book. There is a large notes section at the end ... the authors obviously did their research to prepare the book. It was an interesting read and thankfully times have changed.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2022/10...

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a local treasure that connects beautifully with queer history from Stonewall to Operation Soap. One of the main points from author Green’s foreword is that the story of Len & Cub is no less important to history than the “major” events of LGBTQ+ history; for small-town queer kids, their story is perhaps even more important because it is directly relatable for many. The story of Len & Cub is important, unique, special, beautiful, heart-warming, tragic and challenging. Their story connects to larger themes of the time: homophobia in society; the queer experiences of war/military; the rise of photography and creativity; small-town, rural life and the adventures people of old used to take (I particularly loved pictures of the car and details about their trips around the area); the rise of important businesses (Sussex Mercantile Ltd. remains today!) and more. There is so much knowledge to be gleaned from this story and I feel like a better person having read this. I look forward to sharing it with my high school English class, and the way it may help support & inspire the many LGBTQ+ students from my small town. I’ll cherish this book forever and strongly encourage others to read it.

[Michael Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

While working at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Dusty Green encountered the John Corey collection, and found that the donor had noted that the two men who featured large in the photos were boyfriends. Since the pictures were from the first half of the twentieth century and depicted rural life, Green realized this collection was a kind of missing link regarding gay history in the province--a history all too often erased or not recorded in the first place. Green teamed up with Meredith Batt and the two of them researched the collection and followed up on other traces of the subjects in public and other records. The result is a charming, sometimes poignant, revelation of what life was like for gay men who were trying to hide in plain sight a hundred years ago. The authors readily admit that some of their observations rely on speculative interpretation of images, and there is some needless repetition; nonetheless, this is an important contribution to the establishment of gay history in Canada. We have always been here.

[Digitally Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alicia- Len & Cub is a non-fiction historical book about two men named Leonard Olive Kieth and Joseph Austin Coates, (or known by their nicknames, Len and Cub), who were a couple living in New Brunswick in the early 1900’s during a time when homosexuality was illegal in Canada. It chronicles their lives before, during, and after their relationship, using many photos, most of which were taken by Len himself.

Like I said before, non-fiction books like this aren’t always my cup of tea, but it surprised me a bit and it was interesting to learn about LGBTQ life back then. I can very clearly tell how much heart and soul was poured into the making of this book. The authors worked hard to have even the smallest detail be as accurate as possible. They worked incredibly hard on getting the facts and the photos, and there is PLENTY in this book. I rate this a 4 / 5 stars because it doesn’t spare a detail (As far as I know) but I think I’m more of a fiction type girl 😉. So if you like true history books, or want to learn more about Queer history this will not fail you!

[Corno De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the book reminded me of my first visit to the Casa Cuseni in Taormina, Sicily. The mural paintings from the early 20th century show a gay family with their adopted child. I never expected to be this moved by being represented in such a loving way. The histories of the murals and that of Len and Cubs photographic archive are similar. It is a miracle that they survive to this day.

I felt similar emotions reading this book. So, I cannot, but only thank its authors for making this archive accessible to me.