You Can Tell Just by Looking ─ And 20 Other Myths About LGBT Life and People

Breaks down the most commonly held misconceptions about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their lives

"You Can Tell Just by Looking" unpacks enduring, popular, and deeply held myths about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, culture, and life in America. Some of these myths, such as "all religions condemn homosexuality," have been used to justify discrimination and oppression of LGBT people. Other myths, such as "LGBT people are born that way," have been adopted by LGBT communities and their allies. By discussing and dispelling these myths—including gay-positive ones—the authors challenge readers to question their own beliefs and to grapple with the complexities of what it means to be queer in the broadest social, political, and cultural sense.

Michael Bronski (Cambridge, Massachusetts) has written extensively on LGBT issues for four decades. He is the author of award-winning books, including most recently A Queer History of the United States. He is Professor of the Practice in the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard University and a senior lecturer in Women's and Gender Studies and in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College.

Ann Pellegrini (New York, New York) is professor of performance studies and religious studies at New York University, where she also directs NYU's Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. She has written extensively about religion, sexuality, and U.S. public life. Her publications include Performance Anxieties and the coauthored book Love the Sin (Beacon Press, 2004).

Michael Amico (New Haven, Connecticut) is a PhD candidate in American studies at Yale University. He's published frequently in publications for LGBT youth, such as Young Gay America, as well as providing political analysis Boston Phoenix and other outlets.