Queer Identities and Politics in Germany – A History, 1880–1945

Clayton J. Whisnant is professor of history at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he teaches a range of courses in twentieth-century European history. His first book was Male Homosexuality in West Germany, 1945-1969: Between Persecution and Freedom.

Cogent, well-researched and readable. Useful as a reader in a first year undergraduate course in the history of sexuality or alternatively as a reference work for a course on the Racial State or the Holocaust. This book is certainly also of interest to LGBTQ community groups and LGBTQ Resource Centers. -- Jennifer Evans, author of Queer Cities, Queer Culture: Europe Since 1945 (Continuum, 2013) with Matt Cook, Carlton University This is an outstanding survey book in all respects: intelligible to a wider readership while still pursuing an intellectual ambition, knowledgeable and precise, including stories and telling details while also offering interpretative food for thought and never losing the red thread. Different aspects and layers of queer history in Germany c. 1880-1945 are expertly covered, from Sexualwissenschaft to media scandals, from literary life to urban space. Recommended with enthusiasm. -- Moritz Follmer, former reviews editor, German History, University of Amsterdam This book describes these milestones in detail... It reveals little-known aspects of lesbian life at the time while also addressing the sexuality of several well-known literary and artistic figures... [Whisnant] also offers new information on the Nazis' preoccupation with homosexuality. -- Troy Carrington OutSmart A skillful narrative history... Whisnant has done a terrific job of tracing the complex, turbulent path of LGBT Germans with liveliness, intelligence, and poignancy. -- Vernon Rosario The Gay and Lesbian Review

• List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction. Why Study Queer German History? 1. The Birth of Homosexual Politics 2. Scandals and Alliances 3. The Growth of Urban Gay Scenes 4. Representations and Identities 5. The Politics of Homosexuality in Weimar Germany 6. Nazi Persecution Conclusion. Gay and Lesbian Life after 1945 Notes Bibliography Glossary Index