Out of the Closet: A Collection of Early LGBTQ+ Fiction

This is a collection of 22 LGBTQ+ stories published between 1841-1923, covering a wide span of authors, genres, and literary traditions. Some stories are coded and euphemistic, often framing their central relationships as friendships or familial bonds. Others are surprisingly brazen and bold for their time, courting controversy for their refusal to obscure the sexuality of their chararcters. Some tales come from canonical, widely known authors (Whitman, Chopin, Wilde, Cather), while others emerge from obscurer and less recognized writers (Thanet, Cooke, Bunner). Some are tragic and self-critical, clearly the byproducts of when they were written. Others are lightly comedic or triumphant, bucking the conventions of the time. Throughout each story, however, persists a desire to represent the seemingly unrepresentable, finding expression for the “love that dare not speak its name.” - Summary by ChuckW