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Boots of leather, slippers of gold:

the history of a lesbian community
Front Cover
13 Reviews
Psychology Press, 1993 - Social Science - 434 pages
When most lesbians had to hide, how did they find one another? Were the bars of the 1940s and 1950s more fun than the bars today? Did Black and white lesbians socialize together?
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold is a ground-breaking account of the growth of the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s Drawing on oral histories collected from 45 women, it is the first comprehensive history of a working-class lesbian community. These poignant and complex stories provide a new look at Black and white working-class lesbians as powerful agents of historical change. Their creativity and resilience under oppressive circumstances constructed a better life for all lesbians and expanded possibilities for all women.
Based on 13 years of research, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold ranges over topics including sex, relationships, coming out, butch-fem roles, motherhood, aging, racism, work, oppression, and pride. Kennedy and Davis provide a unique insider's perspective on butch-fem culture and trace the roots of gay and lesbian liberation to the determined resistance of working-class lesbians. The book begins by focusing on the growth and development of community, culture, and consciousness in the bars and open house parties of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. It goes on to explore the code of personal behavior and social imperative in butch-fem culture, centering on dress, mannerisms, and gendered sexuality. Finally the book examines serial monogamy, the social forces which shaped love and break-ups, and the changing nature and content of lesbian identity.
Capturing the full complexity of lesbian culture, this outstanding book includes extensive quotes from narrators that make every topic a living document, a composite picture of the lives of real people fighting for respect and for a place that would be safe for their love.
  

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Review: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community

User Review  - Courtney Oliver - Goodreads

An amazing journey through the struggles of being a lesbian in the 1930s-1960s. Fascinating stories about butch-fem relationships, as well as the intersection of sexual orientation, race, and class ... Read full review

Review: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community

User Review  - Megan - Goodreads

While non-academics will find parts of this book dry, it is an essential work documenting queer history. I am very impressed by the thorough work put into this text, and how the authors went out of ... Read full review

All 11 reviews »

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Selected pages

Contents

The
67
Maybe cause things were harder you had to be more 11 3
113
The Butch
151
ButchFem Sexuality
191
Serial Monogamy in the Lesbian
231
Committed ButchFem
278
The
323
Conclusion
372
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

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References from web pages

JSTOR: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a ...
472 GENDER & SOCIETY / September 1994 Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. By Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline D. ...
links.jstor.org/ sici?sici=0891-2432(199409)8:3%3C472:BOLSOG%3E2.0.CO;2-T

Journal of Social History: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The ...
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. - book reviews. Linda W. Rosenzweig. The contemporary theoretical discourse between ...
findarticles.com/ p/ articles/ mi_m2005/ is_n3_v27/ ai_15324711/ print

Kennedy and Davis: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold
Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky and Madeline D. Davis. Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ...
www.amst.umd.edu/ Research/ cultland/ annotations/ ken_dav1.htm

gaytoday.com - Pen Points
Members of the Gay Activists Alliance on the march in the early 1970s, When I came out 30 years ago, I learned much of what it is to be gay from older gay ...
www.gaytoday.com/ penpoints/ 092704pp.asp

UB faculty&alumni Book Authors
Book Image. Title: Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold Author / Editor: Elizabeth Kennedy Department: American Studies ISBN: 0140235507 ...
libweb1.lib.buffalo.edu/ ft/ FacAuthoResultsDetail1.asp?auID=361

American Anthropologist aa 0002-7294 American Anthropological ...
CO;2-X Book Reviews Social/Cultural Anthropology Ellen Lewin March 1994 March 1994 96 1 171 172 Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian ...
www.anthrosource.net/ doi/ xml/ 10.1525/ aa.1994.96.1.02a00200

Madeline D. Davis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
After more than a decade of research Davis co-authored and published with Kennedy, "Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: the history of a lesbian community", ...
en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Madeline_D._Davis

Karin Lutzen - The Female World: Viewed from Denmark - Journal of ...
... and Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline D. Davis, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community (New York: Routledge, ...
muse.jhu.edu/ journals/ journal_of_womens_history/ v012/ 12.3lutzen.html

glbtq >> literature >> American Literature: Lesbian, Post-Stonewall
Since Stonewall various political agendas have dominated American lesbian literature
www.glbtq.com/ literature/ am_lit5_lesbian_post_stonewall,6.html

village voice > nyclife > Shelter: Boots of Leather by Toni ...
Friday. Sound of the City · ivoice: Pete Wentz Writes a Polar Bear Song over IM «. Friday. Runnin' Scared · Harlemites to Join Hands to Protest Rezoning « ...
www.villagevoice.com/ nyclife/ 0519,191971,63998,15.html

About the author (1993)

Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy is Professor of American Studies and Women's Studies at SUNY, Buffalo. Madeline D. Davis is Chief Conservator and Head of Preservation for the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Boots of leather, slippers of gold
TitleBoots of leather, slippers of gold: the history of a lesbian community
AuthorE. Lapovsky Kennedy
ContributorMadeleine D. Davis
Editionillustrated
PublisherPsychology Press, 1993
ISBN0415902932, 9780415902939
Length434 pages
Subjects › 

Social Science / Gay Studies
Social Science / Lesbian Studies
  
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