The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction

Reviewed by Dana Cochran, Instructor, Women's and Gender Studies, Radford University on 8/31/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text presents a thorough and easily accessible 20th Century record of the American LGBTQ Rights Movement. The overview of the Movement covers both the major figures and the identifiable eras of LGBTQ history in a way that younger students can comprehend and analyze. For a generation that potentially has no understanding of the challenges and dangers of those who were included in the LBGTQ community, this text introduces important material to explain the systemic discrimination and oppression perpetrated upon that vulnerable group during most of the 20th century. This history is incredibly important in order for our younger students to comprehend the progress of our society in addressing the inequities suffered by the LBGTQ demographic during the 20th century, as well as what challenges still exist.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The issues addressed by this text are quite accurate and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text was released in 2020, and the information presented up to that point is relevant and accurate. Since the text presents as a history of the LGBTQ Rights Movement, any updates could be easily added, given the chronological organization of the material. In view of the critical nature of the current American political situation that exists in 2025, there are a number of updates that could be included in any future releases of this information.

Clarity rating: 5

The writing of this text is really accessible for students and instructors of gender studies, particularly in this introductory format. The definitions presented clarify the jargon that may be used both here and in other sources our students may encounter.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The text is easily accessible and the writers clearly make an effort to help readers understand the jargon and terminology of gender studies in a 21st century context. The "definition of terms" throughout the text is so helpful, not only to students but to instructors who may utilize the material.

Modularity rating: 5

The organization of the text is so easily assigned in smaller increments for student examination. Each chapter is subdivided into subheadings that could very nicely be assigned for short short readings. The chronological organization of the material is especially conducive to assigning specific sections for individual assignments.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chronological organization of this material is quite easy to follow, and it is helpful for those of us who utilize a historicist approach to gender-related material The separation of topics, as well as the chronological format, is helpful for creating a timeline of the realities of those in the LBGTQ community and the activists who supported critical issues at specific times and spaces during the 20th Century. The references to legal milestones during this time period are particularly helpful in reinforcing that activism requires not only grassroots efforts but establishing legal precedents in protecting the civil rights of any community--in this case, the LBGTQ community.

Interface rating: 5

This text is really beautifully easy to navigate, from beginning to end.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is grammatically correct.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This text is very inclusive of races, ethnicities and backgrounds. Especially impressive and effective are the personal stories included throughout the text. Reading the stories from individual voices is important to make the presentation of this material real to students who may not know the lived experiences of those in the LGBTQ community, past and present.

The Appendices are particularly well organized and helpful, for instructors and students. The books listed are probably more crucial to instructors than students, especially in terms of the critical texts of gender studies during the 21st century. The subheadings that include Organizations, Texts , Glossary, Photo Credits, Websites are thorough and up-to-date through the 2020 date of publication. For anyone--instructor or student--who desires a thorough Bibliography into the 20th history of gender activism, the Bibliography is invaluable. The 'Wikipedia' entries may be a bit more questionable in terms of academic rigor. However, those entries can be utilized as a basic intro into topics that can segue into valid scholarly sources.

Reviewed by Katherine Fox, Assistant Professor, Southern Oregon University on 11/4/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

A lot of work and research went into this book! I really appreciated the ways that these authors divided the American LGBTQ Rights movement into eras and offered diverse perspectives from each time period. Within content on LGBTQ rights, it is common to hear about a few main figures from New York or San Francisco, but this book also offers, for example, experiences of queer people from pre-Stonewall Texas and Ohio.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate and well-chosen; authors do a good job of highlighting historical events and why they are important.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This book speaks to issues up until 2020, the year of publication. The final chapter may need to be reorganized to update in the future; perhaps the beginning of the 21st century will need to become its own particular era, with a different concluding chapter. Still, I think this book will be relevant without updates for several years.

Clarity rating: 5

Clear prose that uses terminology of queer communities without excessive jargon. Statements at the beginning of chapters clarify that the appropriateness of a given term changes over time, and explains how the terminology used in the era of the current chapter is or is not still used as of publication.

Consistency rating: 5

Consistent throughout.

Modularity rating: 5

Chapters pertaining to different eras would be easily assigned as separate readings. Within the chapters, sections and special topics divide the reading into easily digestible chunks (rather than extensive text).

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Clear chronological organization.

Interface rating: 5

Consistent themes in graphic design, including font choices and color scheme, smoothly guide the reader through the material. Images are mostly medium-sized and embedded in the text, as opposed to having large images that break the text and create confusing navigation issues. It prints well - no strange breaks or page layouts. My one criticism is that there are large graphics at the beginning of each chapter that would look great as a two-page spread in a physical copy, but are somewhat confusing when scrolling vertically through a digital copy.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The authors clearly made efforts to include diverse and intersectional perspectives from every era of American LGBTQ history.

This is an excellent resource. It is easily readable without being too introductory in tone, which makes it useful for classes at a variety of levels.

Reviewed by Valerie Sharer Rodriguez, Department Chair & Associate Professor, Tidewater Community College on 7/19/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text addresses most topic areas covered in an introductory LGBT course. I am impressed that the authors are very comprehensive in their topic coverage. They included the essential items and true stories within the chapters that make the textbook more exciting and easy to read.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The definitions are accurate and accessible. They deliver essential information and history for thinking about and discussing LGBT.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Content is very relevant; however, this text was written in 2020, which is imperative; given the current conditions in the United States, it would probably need to arrange in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy to implement.

Clarity rating: 5

I find this text to be easy to read and enjoyable. Reading history can be difficult; however, this text is easy to comprehend, especially for students in introductory courses.

Consistency rating: 5

All the phrases and materials are consistent and clear.

Modularity rating: 5

I love the format. I appreciate the authors' way of developing the textbook as it is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is very organized, and the topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.

Interface rating: 5

No significant interface issues. It is leisurely to navigate the book.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

All looks good -- I didn’t find any grammatical issues in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The author includes most examples of various races, ethnicities, and backgrounds in American's LGBT history.

This is an excellent text. It is easily readable. I always appreciate the personal narratives in the text to make it intriguing to the readers.