First published 2025
Dr. Anthony Delaney excavates the hidden stories of eleven queer individuals who lived between 1726 and 1836. His research takes readers into London taverns like Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house, where community flourished until police raids destroyed lives. The book follows the Chevalier d'Eon, whose gender became the subject of public betting and fencing duels. Two Irish women flee their families to create a famous Welsh utopia together. At King George's court, Queen Caroline's confidant defied easy categorization, prompting one wit to declare the world contained "men, women, and Herveys." In New York, a Black sex worker faced a degrading trial as the "Man-Monster" while maintaining her dignity and resistance. Delaney mines court records, archives, and forgotten documents to reconstruct these lives. His work challenges the assumption that queer history began with Stonewall in the 1960s. The book reveals how eighteenth-century queer people navigated hostile societies, built communities, and fought for sexual freedom. These stories span aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who risked everything to live authentically. Delaney offers readers a vivid portrait of queer resilience across centuries.
Genres: historical-fiction, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, 19th-century
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, vivid
Tropes: found-family, historical-figures
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, sexism