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Outlaw Marriages by Rodger Streitmatter
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Outlaw Marriages

The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples

The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples

By Rodger Streitmatter

By Rodger Streitmatter

By Rodger Streitmatter

By Rodger Streitmatter

Best Seller
Paperback $20.00

May 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780807003428

Ebook $14.99

May 15, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003350

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    Outlaw Marriages by Rodger Streitmatter
    Paperback $20.00
    May 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780807003428

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    See All Formats (1) +
    • $20.00

      May 07, 2013 | ISBN 9780807003428

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • May 15, 2012 | ISBN 9780807003350

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About Outlaw Marriages

    Celebrate LGBTQIA+ history with the untold stories of 15 prominent same-sex couples who defied cultural norms and made significant contributions to the arts, social change, and more.
     
    For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other “for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health” for periods of 30 or 40—sometimes as many as 50—years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife.

    In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn’t merely improve the quality of life for the 2 people involved but also enriched the American culture. Among the high-profile couples are:

    • Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams and Mary Rozet Smith
    • Literary icon Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
    • Author James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger
    • Artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg
    • Legendary poet Walt Whitman and Peter Doyle
    • Classic Hollywood star Greta Garbo and Mercedes de Acosta
     
    While no partnership is the same—some were tumultuous, while others were more supportive and long-lasting—all changed the course of American history.

    About Outlaw Marriages

    Celebrate LGBTQIA+ history with the untold stories of 15 prominent same-sex couples who defied cultural norms and made significant contributions to the arts, social change, and more.
     
    For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other “for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health” for periods of 30 or 40—sometimes as many as 50—years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife.

    In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn’t merely improve the quality of life for the 2 people involved but also enriched the American culture. Among the high-profile couples are:

    • Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams and Mary Rozet Smith
    • Literary icon Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
    • Author James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger
    • Artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg
    • Legendary poet Walt Whitman and Peter Doyle
    • Classic Hollywood star Greta Garbo and Mercedes de Acosta
     
    While no partnership is the same—some were tumultuous, while others were more supportive and long-lasting—all changed the course of American history.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir | World History

    Paperback | $20.00
    Published by Beacon Press
    May 07, 2013 | 224 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9780807003428

    Category: Biography & Memoir | World History

    Ebook | $14.99
    Published by Beacon Press
    May 15, 2012 | 224 Pages | ISBN 9780807003350

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    Praise

    “Outlaw Marriages gloriously outs same-sex couples through history and celebrates their love and impact in theater, arts, and social change. If you love the guilty pleasure of reading People magazine for your celebrity-couple news, you’ll love this book. And the fact-checking is flawless!”
    —Kate Clinton, humorist

    “The volume will have particular appeal to readers of gender studies, but these stories ultimately prove that true partnership is gender blind.”
    —Publishers Weekly

    “A thoroughly interesting look at gay and lesbian love, life and relationships.”
    —EDGE

    “Fifteen love marriages that dared not speak their name defied laws and mores, flouted conventions, and live today in Streitmatter’s essential, well-documented history.”
    —Booklist

    “A nice gift for just the right couple.”
    —Kirkus Reviews

    “An engaging and well-researched volume with broad appeal to the LGBTQ crowd (especially couples) as well as social historians.”
    —Library Journal

    “In Outlaw Marriages he distills a wealth of information down to a lively and effective series of double portraits.”
    —The Gay and Lesbian Review

    “…Streitmatter expertly threads together the historical backgrounds and incredible courage of these couples… it’s a damn good bunch of stories told in a very approachable 160-ish pages.”
    —The Stranger

    Table Of Contents

    Prologue
     
    Chapter 1
    Walt Whitman & Peter Doyle
    1865–1892
    Revolutionizing American Poetry
     
    Chapter 2
    Martha Carey Thomas & Mamie Gwinn
    1878–1904
    Opening Graduate Education to American Women
     
    Chapter 3
    Ned Warren & John Marshall
    1884–1927
    Building the Collections of America’s Art Museums
     
    Chapter 4
    Mary Rozet Smith & Jane Addams
    1891–1934
    Breaking New Ground in Social Reform and Global Peace
     
    Chapter 5
    Bessie Marbury & Elsie de Wolfe
    1892–1933
    Founding the Field of Interior Design
     
    Chapter 6
    J. C. Leyendecker & Charles Beach
    1901–1951
    Taking the Art of Illustration to a New Level
     
    Chapter 7
    Alice B. Toklas & Gertrude Stein
    1907–1946
    Expanding the Dimensions of American Literature
     
    Chapter 8
    Janet Flanner & Solita Solano
    1919–1975
    Pioneering a New Style of Journalism
     
    Chapter 9
    Greta Garbo & Mercedes de Acosta
    1931–1960
    Making Hollywood the Celebrity Capital of the World

    Chapter 10
    Aaron Copland & Victor Kraft
    1932–1976
    Inventing a Distinctly American Style of Music
     
    Chapter 11
    Frank Merlo & Tennessee Williams
    1948–1963
    Lifting American Theater to New Heights
     
    Chapter 12
    James Baldwin & Lucien Happersberger
    1949–1987
    Attacking Racism through Literature
     
    Chapter 13
    Robert Rauschenberg & Jasper Johns
    1954–1962
    Expanding the Definition of Art
     
    Chapter 14
    Ismail Merchant & James Ivory
    1961–2005
    Turning Literary Works into Sumptuous Films
     
    Chapter 15
    Frances Clayton & Audre Lorde
    1968–1988
    Raising a Voice for Women of Color
     
    Epilogue
    Acknowledgments
    Notes
    Photography/Illustration Credits

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