Seminar: David Ferrara and Lauren Gutterman: Queer Abby: Newspaper Advice Columnists as Allies for Gays and Lesbians, 1960-1980, 14.04.2022, Boston and virtual space

The History of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Seminar (Web)

Time: 14.04.2022, 5:15 PM (Time-zone America/NY)/23:15 Uhr in Europe
Venue: virtual space, via Boston
David Ferrara’s dissertation chapter examines newspaper advice columnists as resources for queer Americans. From the early 1960s onward, columnists like Abigail Van Buren, Ann Landers, and Helen Bottel elevated queer voices to millions of readers. Within the context of the nascent homophile movement, nationally syndicated columnists created alternative platforms for mediated discussions about queer sexualities.
They proliferated information that could be otherwise difficult to obtain, and occasionally provided counsel intended to destigmatize queer desire. Advice columns, by their interactive nature, provided queer people a forum to discuss their identities, articulate their desires, and contradict misconceptions about homosexuality before mainstream audiences.

  • Author: David Ferrara, University of Alabama (Web)
  • Comment: Lauren Gutterman, University of Texas at Austin
This semiar is a hybrid event, and you can choose to attend online or in-person at the MHS. The virtual program will be hosted on the video conference platform Zoom. Link to the registration online or in person (Web). Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
The History of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Seminar-Series (Web)
The History of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Seminar-series ist hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society.
It invites you to join the conversation. The seminar brings together a diverse group of scholars and interested members of the public to workshop pre-circulated papers. After brief remarks from the author and an assigned commentator, the discussion is opened to the floor. All are encouraged to ask questions, provide feedback on the circulated essay, and discuss the topic at hand. The session is free and open to everyone.

Source: H-Net Notifications