Before Stonewall cover

Before Stonewall

by Vern L. Bullough

Illuminating the lives of the courageous individuals involved in the early struggle for gay and lesbian civil rights in the United States, this comprehensive historical study invokes the lives and sacrifices of the greatest barrier-breakers of the pre-1969 fight. Authored by those who knew them best (often activists themselves), the concise biographies in this volume examine the lives of such heroes of the gay and lesbian movement as Harry Hay, Henry Gerber, Alfred Kinsey, Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon, Jim Kepner, Jack Nichols, Christine Jorgensen, Jose Sarria, Barbara Grier, Frank Kameny and forty more. While no member of the gay movement achieved fame and reputation to compare with that of Martin Luther King, Jr., in the Civil Rights movement, they all put their careers and reputations on the line, drawn together in spite of personality and philosophical differences to fight for a better, world.

More by Vern L. Bullough

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?