The Culture of Queers

For around a hundred years up to the Stonewall riots, the word used for gay men was ''queers''. In The Culture of Queers, Richard Dyer traces the contours of queer culture, examining the differences and continuities with the gay culture which succeeded it.

Opening with a discussion of the very concept of ''queers'', Dyer asks what it means to speak of a sexual grouping having a culture, and addresses issues such as gay attitudes to women and the notion of camp. From screaming queens to sensitive vampires and sad young men, and from pulp novels to pornography to the films of Fassbinder, The Culture of Queers explores the history of queer arts and media.

Richard Dyer is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Warwick. His books include White: Essays on Race and Culture (Routledge 1997), The Matter of Images (Routledge 1993) and Now You See It (1990).