Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger

Wittlinger, Ellen. (1999). Hard Love. New York: Simon & Schuster. 224 pages. 

Description from Alex Sanchez's Web listing:

This very hip, very contemporary novel set in the world of homemade zines (magazines) finds 16-year-old John “Gio” Galardi, Jr., falling in love with the amazing Marisol Guzman, a self-proclaimed Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian. The two form an unlikely friendship based on zines, alienation, and dreams of escape. John questions his own sexuality as he struggles with his unrequited love for Marisol, who has no doubts at all about who she is. Hard Love is an absorbing book about loss, love, trust, family, transformation, and, interestingly, authorship. 

Available at SF Public Library.

Madame Satå, directed by Karim Ainouz

Ainouz, Karim (Director). (2002). Madame Satå. Brazil/France: VideFilms. 105 minutes.

Film based on the real story of a young man in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janiero in the 1930s. Very interesting questions around his sexual identity, which doesn't fit any of our contemporary standard models but which is probably not all that unusual in Brazilian culture of the period.

Available from the SF Public Library. Library summary:

Based on the life of João Francisco dos Santos, a gay performer, his triumphs and tragedies amid the violence and poverty of 1930's Brazil.

Available in DVD and streaming format from Netflix. Netflix summary:

Rio de Janeiro's Lapa neighborhood is full of outrageous personalities, but few hold a candle to the fascinating Madame Sata (Lazaro Ramos), a transvestite singer who worked the streets in order to survive day to day. Director Karim Ainouz based his film on the extraordinary life of this eccentric character (born Francisco dos Santos), who was also a murderer and spent decades in jail.

Is he gay? Is he a transvestite? Bisexual? Other? Parsing his identity would be a good student exercise. Racial issues suggested in the film are also interesting. Three brief scenes that would need to be skipped in the classroom (M2M lovemaking with nudity; bare female breasts; the naked protagonist being hosed down when he's is admitted to jail).

How to Do the History of Homosexuality, by David M. Halperin

Halperin, David M. (2002). How to Do the History of Homosexuality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 208 pages.

Heavy theory, but good for defining some of the key concepts in LGBTQ historical studies. Halperin is a classicist, so he's a good source on ancient Greece and Rome. The second chapter, "The First Homosexuality," begins with a history of the term "lesbian" that could be modified for use with students. Available at the SF Public Library.

Boy-Wives and Female Husbands, edited by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe

Murray, Stephen O., & Roscoe, Will (eds.). (1998). Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities. New York: St. Martin's Press. 358 pages.

Organized by region, the books includes both pre-modern history and colonial history. Less on women than one men, but a couple of chapters exclusively on women. Available at the SF Public Library.

Islamic Homosexualities, by Stephen O. Murray and Will Roscoe

Murray, Stephen O., & Roscoe, Will. (1997). Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature. New York: New York Univesity Press. 331 pages.

Wide-ranging in geographical scope, the book is divided in three sections: literature, history, and anthropology. Not much on women. Available at the SF Public Library.

A Jihad for Love, directed by Parvez Sharma

Sharma, Parvez (Director). (2007). A Jihad for Love [Documentary film]. United States: First Run Features. 81 minutes.

Available in DVD or streaming format from Netflix. The Netflix summary:

Documenting the quandary of gay Muslims via the perspective of subjects from countries such as India, Iran and Turkey, director Parvez Sharma chronicles their struggles to square their sexual orientation with their faith, which forbids homosexuality. Relating their compelling tales to the camera, the subjects (most expatriates) cling to their Islamic ideals in the face of a sharia interpretation that imposes the death penalty for homosexual acts.

Winner of the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary, 2009. Available for purchase from First Run Features.

The Night is Young, by Héctor Carrillo

Carrillo, Héctor. (2002). The Night is Young: Sexuality in Mexico in the Time of AIDS. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 371 pages.

After a chapter that presents the historical context of "Mexican sexualities," the book is divided into three sections:

• Sexual Identities
• Sexual Socialization
• AIDS and HIV prevention

Erik owns a copy. Available in Spanish at the SF Public Library. Available in English on Amazon.

Different Rainbows, edited by Peter Drucker

Drucker, Peter (ed.). (2000). Different Rainbows. London: Gay Men's Press.

Although the writings date mostly from the mid-1990s, they are very well done and should be a good starting point for research on contemporary conditions in the regions addressed, which include Mexico, Brazil, Nicaragua, and Latin American in general; South Africa, Kenya, Southeast Asia, and China.

Most chapters include references to pre-modern history in the region as well as contemporary conditions. A recurring theme is the limitation of defining LGBTQ life in terms of U.S. and European experiences. The introduction and conclusion deal clearly and directly with such issues.

Pete owns a copy. Available in the SF Public Library.

Black Like Us

Carbado, Devon W., McBride, Dwight A., & Weise, Donald (eds.). (2002). Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual African American Fiction. San Francisco: Cleis Press. 555 pages.

Similar to Go the Way Your Blood Beats. Organized into three sections: Harlem Renaissance, Protest Era, and 1980 to 2000. Available at the SF Public Library.

Go the Way Your Blood Beats, edited by Shawn Stewart Ruff

Ruff, Shawn Stewart (ed.). (1996). Go the Way Your Blood Beats: An Anthology of Lesbian and Gay Fiction by African-American Writers. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 544 pages.

Short stories on gay and lesbian themes by African American writers. Mostly from the second half of the 20th century. Similar to Black Like Us.

Available from the SF Public Library.

Out of the Past, by Neil Miller

Miller, Niel. (2006). Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present. New York: Alyson Books. 678 pages.

Extensive collection of readings, including historical documents and excerpts from literature. Mostly focused on the United States, with some chapters on European topics, and one chapter on Russia and another on Japan. Includes a two-page piece "The Word Gay," written in the early 1950s ("... certainly by the nineteen-thirites it was the most common word in use among homosexuals themselves" [p. 328].)

Erik owns a copy. Available in the SF Public Library, which also has an earlier edition. We should have at least one copy for teacher use, and if we use enough of the readings we should buy a class set. (Available from Barnes & Noble.)

The Fragile Scholar, by Song Geng

Geng, Song. (2004). The Fragile Scholar: Power and Masculinity in Chinese Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. 256 pages.

A contemporary Chinese scholar analyzing traditional Chinese gender issues. Chapters include "Jasper-like Face and Rosy Lips: Same-sex Desire and the Male Body," and "Homosexual Desire: Heroism, Misogyny, and the Male Bond." First 48 pages available on Google Books. University of Washington Press edition available at Amazon.

Passions of the Cut Sleeve, by Bret Hinsch

Hinsch, Bret. (1990). Passions of the Cut Sleeve: The Male Homosexual Tradition in China. Berkeley: University of California Press. 232 pages.

The definitive work (in English, at least) on male homosexual topics in pre-modern Chinese history. Not difficult to read. Substantial use of primary sources, both historical and literary. Pete owns a copy. Available from the SF Public Library in print and digitally.

Becoming Visible, edited by Kevin Jennings

Jennings, Kevin (ed.). (1994). Becoming Visible. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications. 297 pages.

A little old, but an excellent reader for a high school LGBTQ course. Three sections:

• Pre-modern history: Ancient Greece and Rome, Ancient China, Berdache, women in early modern U.S.
  
• Emergence of the Modern Gay Movement: Almost exclusively U.S.
  
• Eighties and Nineties: Mostly about the U.S.
  

Very thoughtfully edited volume. Includes the historiographical issues as well as straight content. Each chapter includes a variety of short readings. Should definitely consider as a text for all students. It's out of print, but we could probably find enough used copies. Available at the SF Public Library.

The chapter "Gays around the Globe" is marginally useful. The Danish articles are way out of date; the Chinese articles from Washington Post are useless; the pieces by Indian lesbians and gay Muslim are better but very short.

The Full Spectrum, edited by David Levithan & Billy Merrell

Levithan, David, & Merrell, Billy (eds.). (2006). The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 272 pages.

About 40 short non-fiction pieces written by (mostly white, it seems) queer youth under the age of 23. Pete owns a copy. Connected to the Queerthology web site. Available at the SF Public Library.