Thursday, June 4, 8:30pm CST
Online Crowdcast Event
Left Bank Books welcomes award-winning historian Eric Cervini, who will discuss his new book, The Deviant's War, on Crowdcast at 8:30pm CST on June 4. Cervini will be in conversation with TV executive Jordan Moblo. Register for the event and order a copy of The Deviant's War from Left Bank Books to support authors and independent bookstores!
From a young Harvard and Cambridge-trained historian, the secret history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall.
In 1957, at the height of the Space Race, a government astronomer named Frank Kameny received a summons to report immediately to Washington, D.C. The Pentagon had reason to believe he was a homosexual. And for the first time, a homosexual fought back.
Based on firsthand accounts, recently declassified FBI records, and forty thousand personal documents, The Deviant’s War unfolds over the course of the 1960s, as Kameny built a movement against the government’s gay purges. It traces the forgotten ties that bound gay rights to the Black Freedom Movement, the New Left, lesbian activism, and trans resistance. Above all, it is a story of America (and Washington) at a cultural and sexual crossroads; of shocking, byzantine public battles with Congress; of FBI informants; murder; betrayal; sex; love; and ultimately victory.
“Required reading for queer people and straight allies” --Garrard Conley, author of Boy Erased
"A detailed and engrossing look at Frank Kameny and his decades-long fight to convince the government and society that, in his words, Gay is Good." --Jim Obergefell, gay rights activist and plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges
"Eric Cervini's work is an important contribution to making our nation's history whole and truthful. Grounded in extensive research, it tells the history of Frank Kameny's tenacious and courageous battle with the federal government to secure respect, dignity and equality for gays and lesbians. Kameny was a pioneer who helped carve a path to a new and better world for LGBTQ Americans and for our entire nation. The Deviant's War is a compelling work which should be on the reading list for everyone who cares about the quest for full civil rights for all Americans." --US Senator Tammy Baldwin
Dr. Eric Cervini is an award-winning historian of LGBTQ+ politics and culture. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College and received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar.
Jordan Moblo is a TV executive who has made a career of reading books in order to turn them into TV shows. He also runs a very popular #bookstagram account, @jordys.book.club, dedicated to celebrating the books he loves.
Registration is required for this event. The registration page also has instructions for getting signed bookplates.
