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[rewind] Larry Gross and the Formation of the Gay Community

Robert Scheer sits down with the author and academic to discuss how once “invisible” closeted gay men and women eventually formed a powerful alliance.
In this week’s Scheer Intelligence, Robert Scheer sits down with author and academic Larry Gross to discuss how once “invisible” closeted gay men and women eventually formed a powerful community over the middle and late 20th century.
Larry Gross. [Photo courtesy: USC]

Former USC Dean at the Annenberg for Communications and professor Larry Gross has been a pioneer of queer studies for decades. He has written two books on gay issues, Contested Closets: The Politics and Ethics of Outing and Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men and the Media in America. In their conversation, Gross tells Scheer about how and when gay people emerged to become a minority group. Gross talks about how the gay community gained political power after settling in urban areas after World War II. Gross says, however, that the gay community is far for uniform in its politics. And he and Scheer discuss the critical role the internet has played in helping young gay men and women have role models and feel less isolated.

Credits

Guest:
Larry Gross – Author

Host:
Robert Scheer

Producers:
Joshua ScheerRebecca Mooney