Before The Internet These Book Will Show You where Was safe To Meet Others and Stay
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| Gay Adress book. It showed the LGBT where to find each other in the world prior to the internet |
While I was single I could not do without the book to find bars and bathhouses in New York. When I was in a Long Term relationship we both had one and it helped us when we travel. Out Bob Damron's book went to several countries in Europe, several times to San Francisco, Canada, Puerto Rico, Florida, and of course New York. It tended to be very accurate. Most of the entries were by traveling LGBT, others had their own staff that traveled to different places. I think the first time I saw and bought one was in 1976.
Historians say preserving the gay ‘Green Book’ will provide new insight into a past overlooked by the mainstream.
The power to record American history hasn’t been wielded by marginalized groups. For LGBTQ Americans, that means lots of the past is lost. But two historians are working to preserve one piece: The Damron Guide, which they say might have been for LGBTQ Americans what the Green Book was for African-Americans.
In this episode of the podcast, Next City Executive Director Lucas Grindley talks with the historians about the underappreciated realities that were meticulously recorded within the pages of The Damon Guide, which included addresses for nightclubs, health clinics, churches, bookstores, restaurants, and more.
Amanda Regan, an assistant professor of history at Clemson University, says the guides showcase that LGBTQ history was not limited to favored cities — it was everywhere.
“When we talk about LGBTQ history, there's a propension to sort of sideline it, right?” says Regan. “And I tend to think that you can't talk about U.S. history without talking about LGBTQ history.”
Eric Gonzaba, an assistant professor of American studies at Cal State Fullerton, says queer historians have always thought of their work as activism: “If we can prove that we've always been here, been always part of national and international life, then you can't ignore us, and we deserve civil rights, human rights.”
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