Queer X Humanities Presents an Evening with Historian John D’Emilio

Join us for a talk and closing reception with renowned LGBTQ+ historian John D’Emilio.  As one of the early scholars of Gay and Lesbian Studies, John D’ Emilio will present a lecture entitled,  "Finding Our Past: How LGBTQ History Has Grown as a Field of Study.” In the United States, LGBTQ+ history is currently under attack— mirroring the ways that the rights, freedom, and cultural institutions of LGBTQ+ people sit squarely in the bull’s eye of the current administration. Professor D’Emilio’s talk will situate this reactionary political moment in history—eras in which LGBTQ people faced repression and violence but also launched inspiring movements for gay and trans* liberation. They also continued to find joy in queer and trans* subcultures, marches, dance parties, rent parties, and drag shows. D’Emilio’s invaluable research also highlights the ways that processes of racial, gender, class, sexual, colonial repression interact with each other throughout U.S. History. His lecture will also underscore how notions of acceptable genders and sexual practices have changed over time — from the purview of the U.S. government in different eras or the people living fabulously in their magic and power. 

The Co-Directors of the Queer X Humanities at the ASU Humanities, Professors Sa Whitley and Julia Himberg, will facilitate a brief Q&A with John D’Emilio after his lecture followed by a closing reception that will begin at 5:30 p.m. sharp.

RSVPs are required to attend this event. Please register by Wednesday, October 8 at 5 p.m. (MST)

Bio of John D’Emilio

D’Emilio is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Chicago and is the author or editor of more than half a dozen books, including Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: the Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States (University of Chicago Press, 2nd ed., 1998); Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, with Estelle Freedman (University of Chicago Press, 2nd ed., 1997); Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (Free Press, 2003), a National Book Award finalist; and The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture (Duke University Press, 2002).  D’Emilio has won fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities; was a finalist for the National Book Award; and received the Brudner Prize from Yale University for lifetime contributions to gay and lesbian studies. A former co-chair of the board of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, he was also the founding director of its Policy Institute. Intimate Matters was quoted by Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy in the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case, the historic decision that declared state sodomy statutes unconstitutional. Today, D’Emilio continues to research and write about the U.S. since World War II, social movements, and the history of sexuality. 

For a full listing of all the Humanities Institute events visit https://humanitiesinstitute.asu.edu/events