Keith Stern’s two volume encyclopedia, Queers in History, has enjoyed a revision this year and now boasts thousands of stories highlighting prominent people from 2450BC to the present day.
It’s very tongue in cheek and endlessly entertaining, as well as being informative, irreverent, and very pointed on the topic of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans historical figures and celebrities.
Arranged by last name, the people listed here jostle together in a sense of solidarity. Stern started with 50 names, allowing the list to blossom organically, searching for evidence in letters and the historical record.
2025 saw the 32nd anniversary of the first publication of Queers in History, then produced on diskettes and later CD-ROM (remember those?). It became a book in 2009. In the 21st century, it shouldn’t be necessary to collate lists like this, but here we are.
Many names will be familiar; many not so much. Some may be surprising. The living share space with the dead: there are a healthy number of women in the pages.
I feared at first this may be a book as sensationalist as Full Service by Scotty Bowers, but I need not have worried. Stern goes deeper in finding his evidence.
Anyone who enjoys biographical trivia will find something worthwhile in Queers in History. Most entries are illustrated with a portrait or photograph.
You’ll find military men, society hostesses, stage and film performers, musicians, politicians, economists, and writers in these volumes. Even ordinary people who found themselves in the public eye are noted here. Even a Pope makes the list.
Sharply written yet always readable,Queers in History is just the thing for a relaxing read. And particularly gratifying to find a personal friend (and fellow poet) in the 2nd volume.
Queers in History is available now: more details here.