American Pop-Behind the Mask: Queer Voices in 1950s Pop Culture

Beneath the veneer of 1950s conformity thrived a vibrant, coded world of queer expression that profoundly shaped American cultural life. "Behind the Mask" reveals how LGBTQ+ artists, performers, writers, and everyday people developed sophisticated strategies to communicate identity, build community, and create meaningful art during an era of unprecedented legal and social persecution.

Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, this groundbreaking cultural history examines how queer Americans navigated the dangers of the Lavender Scare while leaving an indelible mark on film, music, literature, fashion, and television. Discover how Liberace mastered the "open secret," how pulp fiction provided crucial lifelines to isolated readers, how butch/femme aesthetics created both community recognition and political resistance, and how organizations like the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis established foundations for later movements.

From Little Richard's gender-bending performances to Patricia Highsmith's revolutionary novel "The Price of Salt," from Rock Hudson's carefully managed star image to the coded visual language of physique magazines, Taylor Prescott uncovers the ingenious ways queer people developed a cultural vocabulary that spoke simultaneously to mainstream America and to those "in the know."

Part of the bestselling "American Pop" series, which explores the defining cultural movements that shaped twentieth-century America, "Behind the Mask" challenges conventional understandings of this supposedly conformist decade, revealing instead a remarkable story of resilience, creativity, and cultural influence that set the stage for later liberation movements while establishing artistic innovations that continue shaping American culture today.