First published 2025
Anthony Delaney uncovers eleven queer individuals who lived from 1726 to 1836, drawing their stories from court records, archives, and forgotten documents. His research brings readers inside Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house in London, where community thrived before police raids shattered lives. The book traces the Chevalier d'Eon, whose gender sparked public wagering and dueling matches. Two Irish women escape their families to build a celebrated Welsh refuge together. At King George's court, Queen Caroline's confidant puzzled observers so thoroughly that one declared the world held "men, women, and Herveys." In New York, a Black sex worker endured trial as the "Man-Monster" while preserving her dignity and defiance. Delaney's work disputes the notion that queer history started with Stonewall in the 1960s. These eighteenth-century figures navigated hostile societies, formed communities, and pursued sexual freedom. The book captures aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who risked everything to live truthfully, offering readers a concrete picture of queer survival across generations.
Genres: biography, history, historical-fiction, lgbt, social-justice, cultural-studies
Vibes: archival, community-focused, defiant, historically-grounded, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: community-building, found-family, historical-reclamation, survival-against-odds
Setting: London, Mother Clap's Holborn Coffee House, New York, Wales
Period: 1726-1836, 18th-century
352 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Press
Content warnings: homophobia, racism, sexual-assault