Laud Humphreys: Prophet of Homosexuality and Sociology / Edition 1

by John F. Galliher, Wayne Brekhus, David P. Keys

Overview

Laud Humphreys (1930-1988) was a pioneering and fearless sociologist, an Episcopal priest, and a civil rights, gay, and antiwar activist. In graduate school during the late 1960s, he conducted extensive fieldwork in public restrooms in a St. Louis city park to discover patterns of impersonal sex among men. He published the results in Tearoom Trade. Three decades later the book still triggers many debates about the ethics of his research methods. In 1974, he was the first sociologist to come out as gay. Laud Humphreys: Prophet of Homosexuality and Sociology examines the groundbreaking work through the life of a complex man and the life of the man through his controversial work. It is an invaluable contribution to sociology and a fascinating record of a courageous life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299203146
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	08/23/2004
Edition description:	1
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

John F. Galliher is professor of sociology and direct of the Peace Studies Program at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Wayne H. Brekhus is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Missouri–Columbia. David P. Keys is assistant professor of sociology at the State University of New York–Plattsburgh.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	viii
	Prologue	ix
	Introduction	3
1	Birth and Beginnings	13
2	Becoming an Instant Icon	19
3	Historical and Intellectual Context of Tearoom Trade: The 1960s and Washington University	23
4	Published Criticism and Use of Tearoom Trade	36
5	Upward Professional Mobility and Continuing Activism	65
6	The Long (and Rapid) Road Down	84
7	The Legacy of Laud: Politics, Substance, and Professional Ethics	93
	Epilogue	105
Appendix A	Laud Humphreys's Vita	109
Appendix B	Laud Humphreys's FBI File	117
Appendix C	Poster from the Washington University Bulletin Board	189
Appendix D	Systematic Observation Sheet	193
Appendix E	Data Sources and Methods	197
	References	201
	Index	213

Editorial Reviews

"Galliher, Brekhus, and Keys fill in some significant gaps in our knowledge about sociology in the latter part of the twentieth century. Their work is highly relevant to present-day sociology."—Gideon Sjoberg, University of Texas at Austin

"No book traces Humphreys' biography and attempts to decipher fact from fiction as thoroughly as this book."—Valerie Jenness, Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California-Irvine

"This book beautifully captures the turbulent events of a complex and intense person. It is written in a clear and readable style and I predict it will become a classic."—Martin S. Weinberg, coauthor of "Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality"

"No book traces Humphreys' biography and attempts to decipher fact from fiction as thoroughly as this book."--Valerie Jenness, Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California-Irvine


"This book beautifully captures the turbulent events of a complex and intense person. It is written in a clear and readable style and I predict it will become a classic."--Martin S. Weinberg, coauthor of "Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality"

From the Publisher