Major: History
Minor: Archaeological Studies
Research Advisor: Dr. Shelia McIntyre
Title: Matters of the Heart: Love and Friendship among Gay Men, c. 1900-1945
Since the 1970s, and in earnest since the mid ‘80s, historians of the twentieth century have sought to document the enigmatic and rapidly-changing lives of LGBT people. From metropolitan gay nightlife in the 1920s to the start of the gay liberation movement, scholars have produced a substantial body of work that documents the lives and culture of queer people. Notably lacking from this scholarship, however, has been attempts to explore the realms of love and friendship between homosexuals, particularly gay men. This project seeks to document the roles of love and friendship among male homosexuals in the first half of the twentieth century: in what ways were gay men able to form stable, long-term, even monogamous relationships? And how might a sense of friendship and camaraderie among small groups of gay men have substituted for more love-based relationships? By exploring questions such as these, a more complete picture of gay history may come into focus.