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This course traces the history of LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, communities, and politics in the United States from the late eighteenth century to the present, with a primary focus on the twentieth century. We will consider, in particular, the changing meanings and terminologies of sexual and gender variance; shifting forms of queer and trans romantic relationships, home, and family; the emergence and policing of queer and trans communities, as shaped especially by class and race; and the evolution of LGBTQ+ activism and its intersections with broader movements for social and economic justice. The course will consider more broadly how bringing a queer and trans lens to US social and political history shifts our attention to everyday intimate life as a site of oppression and resistance. Students will read and analyze a range of historical scholarship, as well as primary texts in the history of gender and sexuality, including memoirs and letters, periodicals, photographs, and political manifestos.

COURSE CONTENT

• Twelve lectures
• Primary source readings that complement the lectures
• A certificate of completion for 15 hours of professional development credit

Readings: The suggested readings for each session will be listed on the course content “Resources” link in the online learning system. You are not required to read or purchase any print materials. Quizzes are based on the lectures.

Course Access: After your purchase, you may access your course by signing into the Gilder Lehrman website and clicking on the My Courses link, which can be found under My Account in the navigation menu.

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LEAD SCHOLAR: Stephen Vider

Stephen Vider is an associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut. His research examines the social practices and politics of everyday life in the twentieth-century United States, with a focus on intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. He is the author of The Queerness of Home: Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Domesticity after World War II (University of Chicago Press, 2021). He curated the 2017 Museum of the City of New York exhibition AIDS at Home: Art and Everyday Activism. A Place in the City, a short film he co-directed with Nate Lavey for the exhibition, has since been featured in film festivals and programs in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Istanbul. Vider was also co-curator of the exhibition Gay Gotham: Art and Underground Culture in New York and co-author of an accompanying book, a Lambda Literary Award finalist.