No Way, They Were Gay?

As the mother of a queer kid, I love the premise of this book.

While my kid has enjoyed finding various anecdotal evidence on the internet about historical figures being not as heteronormative as history assumes by default, having primary source material along with context will be a good lesson in assessing the reliability of information.

The chapter released is really interesting and informative.
We are taught in schools of so many historical figures, but very rarely is theie home life mentioned. and when it is, it's redacted or edited to fit the narrative.
It's fascinating to see how much History books leave out or untold, in order to keep there 'normal' narrative.
If the book continues anything like this chapter, it will be a instant addition to my education and book shelf. I look forward to reading more and being enlightened.

I really enjoyed reading this, even if it was only a chapter!

The writing was interesting and simple, almost to the point where it felt like the narrator was giving you an incredibly interesting and detailed history lesson. I loved that there were graphics included, and that the writing didn't feel like a textbook.

There was a bit of an emphasis put on the fact that queer people have always existed, and I really liked that, as well. It is up to those who write the history books to include such important details about these famous people, but even if they aren't, it doesn't change the fact and what was true. (I had never known that about Gandhi before reading this, and it made me sad.)

Overall, I really like what this book is trying to accomplish, and would definitely love to read more than a single chapter!

The book starts off with an introduction part about queer history, why it matters to tell those hidden queer life stories and an explanation of LGBT+ terms.

While all that was not new to me, I think it was a very well done summary for everyone starting the book who doesn't have the background knowledge. Those passages are short, easy to understand, and still hold all the key details. In addition, it is done with different colors, boldness, and font sizes to make important points stand out.

The same kind of breaking up the text in smaller parts with clear headlines, little side notes and in different formatting is done to construct the main chapters about hidden queer historical figures.

The chapters give a general overview to the historical situation the person in question lived in, some information on the person, what is known about their queer love life or gender identity, often with examples of their correspondence or quotes, and sometimes other perspectives on the story.
The information is summarized in short, but I figure that if you want to learn about a specific person's life and queerness, you'd choose a book sorely about that person.

I would like it more if it had even more historical figures in it to really be a cool reference book. It includes 5 men who loved men, 5 women who loved women and 5 People who lived outside gender boundaries.
But this book does what it promises, and I feel it does that very well.

(Shout out to the overview on Anne Lister's secret code, that was a special jam for me.)

Rating: 5/5 stars.

“No Way, They Were Gay?” is a quintessential addition to the catalog of LGBTQIA+ resources for teens and young adults. The introductory chapters are well presented and provide very useful information pertaining to the rest of the book. I liked how the author explained the meanings of some general history-related terms, such as hidden history. The author also provided a stellar explanation of the differences between gender, gender expression, and sexual identity. This makes the book a great introduction to LGBTQIA history and social studies, as no prior knowledge of the discussed subject matter is required to understand the book. I also love how the author explained how and why they chose which famous LGBTQIA figures to include, and who to dedicate whole chapters to. It adds an extra layer of thoughtfulness and personal touch not often present in nonfiction books.

A major theme of the book is that just because we were taught something in school or by others as being historically correct, does not mean it is necessarily fully correct or, in some cases, true at all. Every chapter focuses on the hidden history of one public figure. The author focuses on primary sources, providing the original transcripts, and adding translations where needed. The annotations are very useful in highlighting key parts to be analyzed. While the author provides their own analysis and conclusions, that in many cases might be controversial, they allow and in fact encourage the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The author also does not sugarcoat history, even present history, in terms of treatment of the LGBTQIA population. They also make a point to include the “bad” side of some of the individuals they focus on, instead of trying to put each person on a pedestal.

I highly recommend this book to any youth who are questioning their sexual or gender identity, or their friends and family. It is also suitable for those who are looking for diverse role models and relatable public figures and are interested in hidden history.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

I am a huge queer history nerd and thought I would know everything in this book as its aimed for a younger audience, but I was pleasantly surprised at all the new things I learned! How did I never know Ghanaian was LGBT+??????? I love how this book was written, even as a history nerd most history texts are text heavy and hard to read, but this one is very accessible with easy to read text and photos and info graphics provided. I also love how the author was honest about how history is biased and how western society negatively affects other cultures, which both leads to the erasure of queer history. This is one I definitely want to buy a physical copy of to add to my library

This book was incredible.
The language that was used in it was not harsh, but also not sugar-coating. The choice of the people was also amazing.
The little text bubbles were so useful in giving a little more details about some terms.
I absolutely love love love anthologies and this one was not an exception.
Looking forward to reading more from this author! I love their storytelling.

If you've already read Wind's great novel, Queer as a Five Dollar Bill (2019), you know that there is solid evidence indicating that Abraham Lincoln was gay. Given the history of the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community, it's not a surprise that a lot of the history of this community has been suppressed, especially when it comes to the biographies of individuals. This new corporate biography examines the lives of men who loved men, women who loved women, and people who lived outside gender boundaries, and puts these individuals, their times, and their evolving histories into context. There is a concerted effort to include all facets of the LGBTQIA+ community, and there's some cultural diversity as well.

As was evident in Pittman's Stonewall: Coming Out in the Streets, there's a lot of gay history that was not recorded, or was systematically ignored. Wind starts with a really helpful introduction about different ways this history was hidden, as well as "Good Stuff to Know". I really appreciated all of the helpful side bars as well, especially about the language that should be used. There are a lot of differences of opinion, as well as terminology preferences, and the explanations are really well done. I love that there is information about staying safe as well. This intro chapter alone is worth buying the book; it gives shows readers the difficulties that have been faced in the past and are still being faced, and is a great place for starting conversations.

Wind's note about whom to include was also helpful. There were some people who were already on my radar, but some that were new to me as well. The research is phenomenal, and there are extensive source notes at the back. It was particularly inspired to present the research and then ask readers "What do YOU think?" There is a lot of primary source evidence cited, making this book a fantastic resource for students who are working on National History Day projects.

From Sappho, to Queen Anne, to Bayard Rustin, each entry gives a brief description of the person's life and works, evidence as to why they were gay, how this identity affected their lives and treatment. The best part about the book is the inclusion of historical context, and the presentation of as many illustrations of photographs as could be found to support the narrative. I also liked that there was a "Putting it in Order" chart at the back; sometimes it's hard to understand the historical order of events across world history, and this really helped.

The only thing that made me a little sad was wondering what Eleanor Roosevelt would have thought about being included. She was just a little older than my grandmother, who would have been mortified if a secret about her would have been uncovered after her death. Of course, Roosevelt was particularly good at moving with the times, so I like to think that she would have become a champion of sharing hidden histories had she lived long enough.

No Way, They Were Gay? is a well-researched, well-formatted, intriguing book of history that has a place on the shelves of middle school, high school, and public libraries everywhere.