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abiiba's review
4.25
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism
ashareadsbooks's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
The book also tries to look at queers who are evil or bad throughout history, but it doesn't provide enough context on any of them to really substantiate these claims of evilness. For many, the individuals just seem to be participants in a colonial/imperial/racist system rather than people actively enacting harm. For individuals with whom I was familiar (such as J. Edgar Hoover), I felt that the details were far too light on the very real and active harm perpetuated by the individual. If you go into this story without the background knowledge on the people profiled, I don't feel the authors really provide it or justify it enough for you to think "ah yes, this is a person who could be seen as truly evil". They also have a very white and male selection of individuals that they profile, which they don't address at any time.
They might have had better results if they chose fewer individuals and really dived into their respective backgrounds, while making stronger points and analysis related to the thesis they set out to discuss. With the great number of people profiled, the biographies feel very disjointed and not cohesive as a book.
This is still 4-star for me, since I learned a lot of interesting things about homosexuality throughout history and the figures highlighted in the book. If you're really interested in history, I think there are some great historical nuggets buried in here that still make it an interesting read!
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Minor: Genocide and Hate crime
vagaybond's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Murder, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
This book profiles several different historical figures who have done a variety of different things which are by and large, horrifying. Some of these figures have died by suicide or assassination. There is a fair bit in the book which talks about older gay men being into young boys, but it doesn't outright state what exactly that means or what the age gap is, or how young these boys are. It's unclear if they merely mean adult twinks or actual minors. (I may be misremembering details, but this is my best recollection after listening to the audiobook.)katyfayyyx's review against another edition
2.5
However, there was a number of elements of this book that I really did like or even love one of which was how diverse this book was when it come to race, nationality, class however I would say I wish there was more diversity when it came to gender and gender identify. I also loved how this book did not hide away from the harm and the privilege that gay white man has and the harm they have done with that and how this is not just a discussion about sexuality but about race and class and how your experience as a queer people can be different because of this other factors. I also really like the introduction and the way it set out all the idea of this book in an easy but fun and interesting way and it has definitely got my attention. it provides you with a lot of information but it does it in a clear way that keeps you interested. I would say something I thought was a little cringe was the way they would be discussing a really serious topic such as empire but then would try put a joke which 99% of the time wasn't even funny and I just wanted them to stop. I will say I liked how there was a discussion of how homosexuality has been weaponised in a number of ways such as race and antisemitism. I will also say this book was very clearly well researched, referenced with well developed points. Somethings else I really enjoyed about this book was that not of these bad gays are actually bad however does not shy away from their bad and sometimes evil behaviour but also adds a new perspective but not justifying it.
However, they are the only things
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Genocide, and War
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and War
alexiconic's review
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
rchaps's review
4.0
Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Antisemitism
queerloras's review against another edition
3.75
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
4.0
I also very much appreciated the emphasis and exploration of how our understanding and the concept of homosexuality and queerness has adapted and changed over the years, but how it can still be linked back to the understandings of the Greeks and Romans, the Weimar Republic, the colonial anthropologists et al. It was so interesting to see our current understanding of queerness directly linked back to these individuals and periods.
Most importantly, I thought it excellent the way the authors chose to directly address the historic suffering caused by white (usually male) queers against more marginalised queer people in society. I won’t lie, I find it a bit odd so many reviews have complained about the lack of diversity in the 14 chosen individuals to discuss when the entire thesis of the book is basically to examine and critique the white male model of homosexuality. And I think they do this very well - from the AIDS crisis to racist anthropology to the Congo to far right politics, the authors raise again and again the awful harm white queerness has caused, and it’s legacy continues to cause, across the world.
I thought this was a fascinating read, it showed such a different side to queer culture and a side that I think it is vitally important we remember now as we draw ever closer to fascism.
Content warnings: pedastry, racism, homophobia and homophobic violence, conversion therapy, colonisation, slavery, fascism, anti-semitism, Nazism, Islamophobia, sex
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation