Byrne Fone, a pioneer in the teaching of gay and lesbian studies, is the author of three previous books (including A Road to Stonewall) as well as editor of The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature. Professor emeritus at the City University of New York, he lives in Hudson, New York.
"This sweeping introduction to homophobia throughout Western history offers an illuminating . . . way to survey the dimensions of acceptance." --Alison Shonkwiler, Out Magazine "At a time when the word 'homophobia' is dismissed by many as politically correct rhetoric, Fone's work remains a powerful introduction to the undeniable historical impact of the attitudes it describes." --Publishers Weekly "An important work, Homophobia: A History successfully records a portion of the often elusive past of a largely invisible and highly vilified minority." --David Massengill, Seattle Weekly "How did sex between men start out as an admired act of masculinity and end up as a shameful badge of effeminacy? How did homosexual love and sex, which were seen as important to the development of virtue, nobility, and the foundation of a strong society, become an enemy of the state? Fone answers these questions in exquisite detail with a masterful command of history, a balanced interpretation of contradictory documents, and an explosive set of assertions that fly against the conventional view of not just homophobes but of gay people themselves." --Michael Alvear, Salon
"Antipathy, condemnation, loathing, fear and proscription of homosexual behavior" have taken many forms over the centuries. In this lucid history, Fone (The Columbia Encyclopedia of Gay Literature) charts the ways in which homophobia has induced legal, medical, social and ecclesiastical authorities to punishÄand killÄgay men. Drawing upon accepted classics of gay studiesÄJohn Boswell's Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, David F. Greenberg's Construction of Homosexuality and Jonathan Ned Katz's Gay/Lesbian Almanac, as well as other books and articlesÄFone's compendium of social intolerance argues that, despite social progress, hating homosexuals is "the last acceptable prejudice." The litany of horrorsÄbiblical condemnation, slander, whipping, imprisonment, drowning, garroting and castrationÄis chilling, yet even more disturbing is the author's contention that violence against homosexuals has been central to Western culture. Nonetheless, several flaws keep the book from becoming more than a well-written primer. For one, Fone contributes little original research, instead relying on traditional lesbian and gay scholarship, yet he ignores some of the newest, most challenging work in the field (such as Carolyn Dinshaw's Getting Medieval). Most provocatively, while he addresses the differences between essentialist and social constructionist theories of gay identity, he declares that homophobia has a clear, unchanging, social and political character. Also problematic is the book's failure to address the violence perpetuated against lesbians. Still, at a time when the word "homophobia" is dismissed by many as politically correct rhetoric, Fone's work remains a powerful introduction to the undeniable historical impact of the attitudes it describes. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"This sweeping introduction to homophobia throughout Western history offers an illuminating . . . way to survey the dimensions of acceptance." --Alison Shonkwiler, Out Magazine "At a time when the word 'homophobia' is dismissed by many as politically correct rhetoric, Fone's work remains a powerful introduction to the undeniable historical impact of the attitudes it describes." --Publishers Weekly "An important work, Homophobia: A History successfully records a portion of the often elusive past of a largely invisible and highly vilified minority." --David Massengill, Seattle Weekly "How did sex between men start out as an admired act of masculinity and end up as a shameful badge of effeminacy? How did homosexual love and sex, which were seen as important to the development of virtue, nobility, and the foundation of a strong society, become an enemy of the state? Fone answers these questions in exquisite detail with a masterful command of history, a balanced interpretation of contradictory documents, and an explosive set of assertions that fly against the conventional view of not just homophobes but of gay people themselves." --Michael Alvear, Salon
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