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 Affectionate Men : A Photographic History of a Century of Male Couples (1850's to 1950'S) by Russell Bush, Ron Lieberman
"Affectionate Men" assembles antique prints from all parts of the world, forming an idiosyncratic record of love between men. Over a period of 100 years (1850-1950), we can see the changing styles in clothes, hair, and attitudes, but what remains constant is their expression of affection and love. 300 photos.
 Couples : A Photographic Documentary of Gay and Lesbian Relationships by John Gettings (Photographer)
During New York City's Stonewall 25 and Gay Pride celebration in 1994, John Gettings shot black-and-white portraits of gay and lesbian couples, and later recorded their comments about their lives and their love for each other. The result is a stunning collection, a compendium of words and images that provide the clearest window yet into the thoughts, emotions, and devotion of same-sex couples and their struggles and joys enroute to each other. These are not celebrity gays, but ordinary citizens from all walks of life (accountants, teachers, lawyers, bartenders, chauffers, corporate executives) and many regions and backgrounds. They represent the full spectrum of contemporary gay culture, and their revelations about coming out, family reactions to their partnerships, limitations on their rights, and forging a life together are infallibly colored with caring and commitment. At a time when domestic partnerships and same-sex marriages are increasingly visible on judicial, legislative and political agendas, Couples addresses a fundamental issue of human connections with honesty, humor, perceptiveness, and great passion. Couples is a significant addition to gay and lesbian studies. -- Midwest Book Review
 A Desired Past : A Short History of Same-Sex Love in America by Leila J. Rupp
Although this new history of same-sex desire does not offer the long, satisfying narratives of Lillian Faderman's Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers or the sweep of David Greenberg's The Construction of Homosexuality, it does provide a solid introduction to the subject. Tantalizing fragments from the 17th and 18th centuries are joined with later evidence to flesh out Rupp's vision, which draws on Native American and African practices as well as the culture brought to (and imposed on) America by the Europeans. While surveying the more familiar history of gay culture in the cities, she also describes the growth of small, hidden lesbian and gay communities in places as unlikely as Salt Lake City, far removed from the urban centers of vice. Rupp also surveys changes in attitude toward same-sex love within academia in the last 50 years, as well as in American culture at large, and provides a useful bibliography. --Regina Marler
 Significant Others : Creativity & Intimate Partnership by Whitney Chadwick (Editor), Isabelle De Courtivron (Editor), Isabelle De Courtivron (Editor)
Focusing on artist and writer couples who have shared both sexual and creative bonds, 13 of today's leading critics and historians challenge and redefine conventional assumptions about creativity in this series of highly original essays. Among those examined are Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, and Anais Nin and Henry Miller. 76 illustrations.
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