No Way, They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves

by Lee Wind

Overview

"History" sounds really official. Like it's all fact. Like it's definitely what happened.

But that's not necessarily true. History was crafted by the people who recorded it. And sometimes, those historians were biased against, didn't see, or couldn't even imagine anyone different from themselves.

That means that history has often left out the stories of LGBTQIA+ people: men who loved men, women who loved women, people who loved without regard to gender, and people who lived outside gender boundaries. Historians have even censored the lives and loves of some of the world's most famous people, from William Shakespeare and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Cary Grant and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Join author Lee Wind for this fascinating journey through primary sources—poetry, memoir, news clippings, and images of ancient artwork—to explore the hidden (and often surprising) Queer lives and loves of two dozen historical figures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541581586
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Series:	Queer History Project
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	659,385
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1110L (what's this?)
Age Range:	11 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lee Wind is the founding blogger and publisher of I'm Here. I'm Queer. What The Hell Do I Read?, an award-winning website about books, culture, and empowerment for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Questioning and Queer youth, and their Allies. He is the author of No Way, They Were Gay?: Hidden Lives and Secret Loves, which won the ILA Children's and Young Adult's Book Award and was named a 2021 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book. Lee also works for IBPA and SCBWI. Visit him online at www.leewind.org to see and share how #QueerHistoryIsEverywhere.

Editorial Reviews

05/03/2021

Stating in an introduction that “history was crafted by the people who recorded it,” particularly those in power, Wind notes that much remains unknown about the lives of “men who loved men, women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries”—the topics covered in this book. Using primary sources to frame an alternative historical narrative, and asking readers to form their own conclusions, Wind sets out to fill some of those gaps, focusing primarily on the same-sex relationships or nonbinary identities of 12 well-known public figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, M’e Mpho Nthunya, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bayard Rustin, William Shakespeare, and We’wha. B&w photos and a mix of heavy fonts give the layout a dated look, but speech-bubble annotations easily convey contextual information throughout this accessible introduction to “hidden” queer history. Wind includes a helpful explanation of terms; source notes list primary and secondary sources. Ages 11–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"[S]olidly written, well-documented and organized . . . a modest, well-intentioned contribution to gay history."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2021-01-26
A lighthearted celebration of select LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history.

“History was crafted by the people who recorded it,” writes Wind as he endeavors to “reclaim the queer history” of 12 individuals (and, tangentially, about a dozen more). Wind’s spotlight shines on those whose stories he deems “earth-shaking surprises,” ranging from Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1495-1458 B.C.E.) to Lesotho storyteller M’e Mpho Nthunya (1930-2013). Chapters provide helpful historical context before diving into the figures’ lives—and, importantly, loves. Throughout, Wind is careful to use correct or historically accurate pronouns (or, in the case of uncertainty, the singular they). Deftly weaving in primary sources (in bold text), cheeky sidebars, and his own narrative observations as a gay man, Wind keeps the tone conversational and playful. Open-ended questions allow readers to draw their own conclusions—a particularly nice touch for those histories that rely on speculative details. Though Wind is upfront about some racist or problematic attitudes, his rosy picture of Abraham Lincoln makes for an inconsistent treatment. Nonetheless, the careful (though not comprehensive) selection of figures achieves a rare sense of balance. The three overarching categories—“Men Who Loved Men,” “Women Who Loved Women,” and “People Who Lived Outside Gender Boundaries”—each cover four people of varying identities (including race and ethnicity). Unfortunately, the separation based on gender results in an unnecessarily binary organizational scheme.

Entertaining, illuminating, and an accessible antidote to dominant histories. (author's note, source notes, resources, index) (Biography. 11-18)

Kirkus Reviews