The boys of fairy town : sodomites, female impersonators, third-sexers, pansies, queers, and sex morons in Chicago's first century / Jim Elledge

Object Details

Contents

Introduction : from sodomite to sex moron -- Took him home with me, and love him better than ever -- The most effeminate type of sex perversions -- We never liked his species -- A fine piece of nude -- My vileness is uncontrollable -- The hottest show on earth! -- A sodomist is one who enlarges the circles of his friends -- They're regular he-whores -- A man will do when there is nothing else in the world -- Hell, I wish they'd give me a safety razor and a shot of gin -- Used as a pimp for others to get their meat -- All have waitresses who are lads in gal's clothing -- Play it, whip it, pat it, bang it -- Once a bitch, always a bitch -- A nudist club for boys and young men -- Thank God I got only 60 days and a small fine

Summary

"A history of gay Chicago told through the stories of queer men who left a record of their sexual activities in the Second City, this book paints a vivid picture of the neighborhoods where they congregated while revealing their complex lives. Some, such as reporter John Wing, were public figures. Others, like Henry Gerber, who created the first "homophile" organization in the United States, were practically invisible to their contemporaries. But their stories are all riveting. Female impersonators and striptease artists Quincy de Lang and George Quinn were arrested and put on trial at the behest of a leader of Chicago's anti-"indecency" movement. African American ragtime pianist Tony Jackson's most famous song, "Pretty Baby," was written about one of his male lovers. Alfred Kinsey's explorations of the city's netherworld changed the future of American sexuality while confirming his own queer proclivities. What emerges from The Boys of Fairy Town is a complex portrait and a virtually unknown history of one of the most vibrant cities in the United States." -- Amazon.com.

Data Source

Smithsonian Libraries

Date

2018

19th century

20th century

author

Elledge, Jim 1950-

Type

Books

History

Physical description

xxi, 290 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place

Illinois

Chicago

Title

Sodomites, female impersonators, third-sexers, pansies, queers, and sex morons in Chicago's first century

Topic

Gays--History

Record ID

siris_sil_1094594

Usage

CC0