My American History ― Lesbian and Gay Life During the Reagan and Bush Years

Sarah Schulman’s writing is bold, provocative and refreshingly unrepentant. My American History combines critical commentary with a rich and varied collection of news articles, letters, interviews and reports in which the author traces the development of lesbian and gay politics in the US. In her coverage of these many tireless campaigns of activism and resistance, Sarah Schulman documents a powerful political history that most people – gay or straight – never knew happened.

For this Second Edition, Urvashi Vaid has contributed a brand new Preface which argues for the continued relevance of Schulman’s writing to activism in the 21^st Century, particularly in light of the rise of the right in American politics. Also included are a selection of articles by Sarah Schulman for Womanews, in their original format, with illustrations by Alison Bechdel. The book closes with an interview with Sarah Schulman, conducted by Steven Thrasher, especially for this new edition, in which the author reflects on AIDS and homophobia during the Reagan/Bush administrations in relation to AIDS and homophobia at the dawn of the Trump era.

My American History is a collection that gives voice to both the personal and poltical struggles of feminist and lesbian and gay communities in the 1980s. It is an important historical record that will enlighten and inform activists, as well as academics and researchers of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies, in the 21^st century.

Sarah Schulman is Distinguished Professor of English at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, USA. She is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, nonfiction writer, AIDS historian, journalist, and active participant citizen.