Sex-crime panic : a journey to the paranoid heart of the 1950s /

A portrait of prejudice begins with the 1955 murder of an eight-year-old boy in Iowa, and the arrest and conviction of a simpleminded salesman for the crime. Within months, public hysteria caused the police to arrest 20 middle-class gay men who were charged with being "sexual psychopaths,"...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Miller, Neil, 1945- (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles : Alyson Books, 2002.
Edition:First edition.
Subjects:
Description
Summary:A portrait of prejudice begins with the 1955 murder of an eight-year-old boy in Iowa, and the arrest and conviction of a simpleminded salesman for the crime. Within months, public hysteria caused the police to arrest 20 middle-class gay men who were charged with being "sexual psychopaths," although none had anything to do with the murder, and who were incarcerated for prolonged periods of time in a state mental hospital.
Item Description:The Cushing Library/Women & Gender Studies copy was acquired as part of The Don Kelly Research Collection of Gay Literature and Culture.
Physical Description:xvii, 313 pages ; 21 cm
Awards:Lambda Literary Award, 2002
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN:1555836593
9781555836597