Leading the Parade: Conversations with America's Most Influential Lesbians and Gay Men

By Paul D. Cain

Book Overview

Lesbians and gay men undeniably occupy a very different place in American society today than they did in the mid-1940s. Back then, only a few courageous gays and lesbians gathered to organize social and educational groups. Two decades later, a new generation of movers and shakers came forward to build on the firm foundation established by these fledgling groups, taking greater risks and seeking greater visibility. Leading the Parade traces the evolution of the gay and lesbian liberation movement through the personal profiles and stories of nearly 40 individuals whose daring efforts changed America's attitude toward homosexuality during the gay rights movement of the 20th century. The personal profiles of the gay activists and political officials within this poignant book illuminate the events that shaped them. Many of their actions forced this nation to confront and change its views and helped this disparaged group gain acceptance.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810841398
• ISBN13: 9780810841390
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 1.1" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Voices from the "Pioneer" days of gay liberation

There have already been some memorable books profiling the best known of the leaders in the fight for equal rights for gays and lesbians in America. The first thing that makes author Paul D. Cain's first book unique is that he goes beyond the "usual" names to feature an extremely diverse group of 39 men and women, who indeed have all significantly influenced our community in some way. Some are front line activists, but many are better known for their efforts "behind the scenes" as teachers, artists, authors, composers, publishers, preachers, or simply openly living their lives at a time or place where role models made a great difference in the lives of young gay men and lesbians. The book is divided into five logical sections, charactizing the nature of the individuals' contributions. Each individual has his or her own chapter containing an interview in which the author takes an active part, adding his own non-judgemental observations and opinions based on his experiences. It is obvious from his enthusiasm in his questioning that this was a labor of love, one that his notes says took him over five years to put together, crisscrossing the country. Many of his interviewees are no longer in the public eye, and live very private lives, which made it more of a challenge to locate them and get their cooperation to be interviewed. And his chapters are full of interesting comments from each interviewee's friends and associates, providing additional insights into their lives by those who knew them best. This engaging book makes for an interesting read, and a valuable lesson for gays and lesbians of all ages about the pioneers to whom we owe a great deal of thanks for the advances made by our community over the past half century.

An excellent effort!

Paul Cain has written a wonderful book, profiling 39 of the outstanding figures in the struggle towards gay acceptance and rights that went on from 1940 to 1990. All of these chapters were the result of his drive and desire to get to know these people. Along with his personal interviews, he did an enormous amount of research which makes each chapter a thorough study of each individual. The book includes chapters on such lights as Rita Mae Brown, Frank Kameny, Troy Perry, Miriam Ben Shalom, Dorr Legg, Urvashi Vaid, and many more. It's well worth the money! Just in time for gay pride, too!