Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South

by James T. Sears

While Scarlett O'Hara may resemble a drag queen, and Mardi Gras inspires more camp than a gay pride parade, the American South also boasts a rich, authentic and transgressive gay and lesbian history. In this chatty, free-ranging cultural survey, Sears (Growing Up Gay in the South) presents a vivid kaleidoscope of the mores and political activities of many gay Southerners following the 1969 Stonewall riots and leading up to the 1979 march on Washington. Sears unspools this history through portraits of activists and community organizers including Merril Mushroom, Jack Nichols, Lige Clark, Vicki Gabriner, Minnie Bruce Pratt and Sgt. Leonard Matlovitch who helped shape the social and political climate below the Mason Dixon line and often in the rest of the country. While giving a nod to historic events like Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign, Sears focuses more closely on obscure but important local political events, like the founding of the lesbian journal Sinister Wisdom, the emergence of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance and community response to a deadly firebombing that killed 31 patrons in a New Orleans bar in the mid-1970s. Sears's multifaceted approach pays off when he sketches such relatively unknown players as comedian Ray Bourbon and radical fairy Faygele ben Miriam, and he conveys well the complexity and intensity of the political activity of the decade. While not as historically conclusive or theoretically astute as John Howard's masterful Men Like That (2000), Sears provides a panoply of emotionally riveting snapshots that aptly portray Southern gay experience in the 1970s. B&w photos.

Genres: Queer, History, Nonfiction, LGBT

420 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite its density, Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones was just as personal as it was educational. While the book’s academic nature ensured my understanding of Southern queer life, its storytelling ensured my interest. By telling Southern queer history through individual's own words and stories, I was able to connect with them and engage with the book. Sears leaves no stone unturned and explores more than just the mainstream LGBTQ rights narrative. I especially appreciate that he examined both gay men and lesbian women with equal importance- although bisexual and trans folks were mostly mentioned in passing rather than the focus. Despite this and the at-times overwhelming amount of detail, I would recommend Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones to everybody as queer history is too important to be overlooked in favor of an easier read.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of this gets into mundane deeply specific relationships between groups of folks in different southern cities, which was difficult to get through as someone with no connection to the individuals and no attempt by the writer to significantly connect them to a larger story/group/history/etc. It was not what I expected but there were some interesting stories!

[Pan Ellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

exhaustively researched, a fascinating history of community and activism post stonewall, pre AIDS, focused primarily, though not exclusively, on the south. an invaluable account of us, an invaluable resource...