Sign-In
Cart
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Paperback
British HistoryGLBTQIA Studies
Publisher Price: $20.00
ISBN13: 9780802168467
Publisher: Grove Press
Published: Oct 6 2026
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.70
Height: 1.00 Width: 5.40 Depth: 8.10
Language: English
A BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A ground-breaking history delivered in a refreshing new voice, Queer Enlightenments details eleven overlooked stories of eighteenth-century queer people who lived extraordinary lives of resistance and joy
Queer people have always existed. In an era when this basic truth faces undue scrutiny, here is a dazzling work of restorative history that reveals the hard-won lives of those who dared to break the mold in the long eighteenth-century. At once an illuminating romp through the historical archive and an evocative new chapter in our shared history, Dr. Anthony Delaney's Queer Enlightenments uncovers the remarkable queer people of that complex, sometimes paradoxical time.
Unfolding between 1726 and 1836, Queer Enlightenments is a lively journey through the taverns, prisons, and cruising grounds of a bygone era and into the lives of aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who pursued self-expression and freedom no matter the risk. In London, Mother Clap's famous Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid. At the court of King George, a silver-tongued noblewoman remarked of one of Queen Caroline's confidants, The world consists of men, women, and Herveys. And in New York, a Black sex worker endures a degrading trial that labels her the Man-Monster--but between the lines of its transcripts can be found traces of her life, one of acceptance, defiance, and indomitable spirit.
Peopled with female husbands, midnight elopements, and one unforgettable soldier/diplomat/spy of ambiguous gender, Queer Enlightenments delves into the archives and emerges with new discoveries and a fresh view of the people who challenged society's expectations.
1 different editions
Also available
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
Also from
Delaney, Anthony
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
Also in
GLBTQIA Studies
Homosexuality in Cold War America: Resistance and the Crisis of Masculinity
Corber, Robert J.
Paperback
Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together
Spade, Dean
Paperback
Transgender History, Third Edition: A Resource for Today's Struggle--And Tomorrow's
Stryker, Susan
Paperback
The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America's Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces
Karp, Rachel
Hardcover
The Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism Within Us Slave Culture
Woodard, Vincent
Paperback
Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging
Schraeder Rodriguez, Timothy
Hardcover
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
Serano, Julia
Paperback
The Laramie Project and the Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
Kaufman, Moises
Fondakowski, Leigh
Pierotti, Greg
Paperback
Mechanic Shop Femme's Guide to Car Ownership: Uncomplicating Cars for All of Us
Milchtein, Chaya M.
Paperback
Femmephilia: Love Letters to Trans Mermaids, Queer Mothers, and Marilyn Monroe
Lewis, Sophie
Paperback
American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era
Lang, Nico
Paperback
Changing Our Mind: Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics
Gushee, David P.
Paperback
So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color
de Robertis, Caro
Paperback
As If We Were Staying: How We Build a Flourishing Future in a World That's Falling Apart
Scott, Spencer R.
Paperback
So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color
de Robertis, Caro
Hardcover
Gender Rituals: Creating a Sacred Space for Your Body, Your Gender, and Your Becoming
Lawliet, Eli, PhD
Paperback
Healing the Oppressed Body: A Therapeutic Guide for Radical Self-Liberation
Gutiérrez-Glik, Andrea
Hardcover
The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World
Downs, Alan
Paperback
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color
Norris, Denne Michele
Electric Literature
Hardcover
Radical Relating: A Queer and Polyamory-Informed Guide to Love Beyond the Myth of Monogamy
Cassidy, Mel
Paperback
Refusing Compulsory Sexuality: A Black Asexual Lens on Our Sex-Obsessed Culture
Brown, Sherronda J.
Paperback
Stonewall: The Definitive Story of the LGBTQ Rights Uprising That Changed America
Duberman, Martin
Paperback
The Marble Faun of Grey Gardens: A Memoir of the Beales, the Maysles Brothers, and Jacqueline Kennedy
Maietta, Tony
Torre, Jerry
Paperback
Sick and Dirty: Hollywood's Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness
Koresky, Michael
Hardcover
The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs
Piepzna-Samarasinha, Leah Lakshmi
Paperback
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and Beyond
Feinberg, Leslie
Paperback
Radical Tarot: Queer the Cards, Liberate Your Practice, and Create the Future
Burgess, Charlie Claire
Paperback
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World
Cooper, Christian
Paperback
The Joy of Gay Sex: Fully Revised and Expanded Third Edition
Silverstein, Charles
Picano, Felice
Paperback
Queer X Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ
Campbell, Andy
Hardcover
Queer Conception: The Complete Guide to Fertility, Iui, and Ivf for LGBTQ+ Parents-To-Be
Kali, Liam
Paperback
It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic
Lowery, Jack
Paperback
A Pocket Guide to Pride Flags: An Illustrated History of Queer Community Symbols
Bjarnabur, Sindri Sparkle Freyja
Paperback
We Are Everywhere: Protest, Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation
Brown, Leighton
Riemer, Matthew
Hardcover
Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema
Maclay, Willow
Gardner, Caden
Paperback
Notes from a Queer Cripple: How to Cultivate Queer Disabled Joy (and Be Hot While Doing It!)
Gurza, Andrew
Paperback
Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America
Burton, Krista
Paperback
Cruising Utopia, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Then and There of Queer Futurity
Muñoz, José Esteban
Paperback
Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America
Smithers, Gregory
Paperback
Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance
Rose, Syan
Paperback
The Transmasculine Guide to Physical Transition: For Trans, Nonbinary, and Other Masculine Folks
Buch, Sage
Paperback
Café Lafitte in Exile: Queer New Orleans and the Story of America's Oldest Gay Bar
Perez, Frank
Palmquist, Jeffrey
Hardcover
The Trans Self-Care Workbook: A Coloring Book and Journal for Trans and Non-Binary People
Lorenz, Theo
Paperback
Queer Devotion: Spirituality Beyond the Binary in Myth, Story, and Practice
Burgess, Charlie Claire
Paperback
Hood Wellness: Tales of Communal Care from People Who Drowned on Dry Land
Gordon, Tamela J.
Paperback
The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook: Skills for Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression
Singh, Anneliese A.
Paperback
How to Understand Your Gender: A Practical Guide for Exploring Who You Are
Barker, Meg-John
Iantaffi, Alex
Paperback
Queering the Runes: Reclaiming Ancestral Wisdom in Rune Magic and Mythology
Plouff, Siri Vincent
Paperback
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Faderman, Lillian
Paperback
The Teach Like an Ally Workbook: Allyship in Action for Educators and School Communities
del Sol, Flint
Paperback
Club Commons: Moving Bodies to Grow Movements in Queer Nightlife and Beyond
Prashar-Savoie, Anjali
Paperback