How Long Beach caused the death of John A. Lamb.

Immediately after his 1914 election as mayor of Long Beach, Louis Napoleon Whealton fired the chief of police and raided the city treasury. To replenish the funds, Mayor Whealton concocted a scheme to collect fines from any male “who made advances toward other men.” Two special police officers entrapped and arrested thirty-one men, dragging them before a judge to pay up or risk a public trial. When one victim refused to play along, newspapers were quick to publish the names of everyone accused, including local pharmacist and popular churchman John A. Lamb. His suicide made headlines, but the city continued to target gay men well into this century.

Author and historian Gerrie Schipske uncovers the story of a tragic death with far-reaching consequences in Long Beach.

Denver is the Mile High City, the Queen City of the Plains, and the Gateway to the West. Today, the city attracts thousands of new residents each year, including the LGBTQ people from the rural West and digital nomads from around the nations seeking a welcoming community where they can thrive. In LGBTQ Denver, Phil Nash showcases how the city evolved from its pre-1970s history of rebuking gay people to a magnet for LGBTQ residents and the capital of the first state to elect and reelect the nation’s first openly gay governor.

San Francisco’s Transgender District, six blocks in the Tenderloin, was founded in 2017 by three black trans women. The first trans and gender nonconforming residents in the area were two-spirit residents of the Ramaytush Ohlone territory. After the founding of San Francisco, trans individuals continued to live, perform, advocate, and gather in the area. 

Some members of the trans community gained fame and fortune in local vaudeville theaters and performing in drag. Others regularly navigated issues with the police, landlords, and local businesses. The 1906 earthquake dramatically reshaped the neighborhood when Market Street was destroyed. José Julio Sarria, local clergy, “Screaming Queens,” the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Ms. Billie Cooper, and many others helped the trans community find glitter in the ashes and recover from hardship. The Transgender District includes the site of the first trans and queer uprising at Compton’s Cafeteria and Glide Memorial Church, the site of the first transgender support group in the United States. 

Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer, an activist, award-winning historian, and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in transgender nonfiction, leads regular walking tours of the district. Images in this book come from his personal collection, museums, archives, and local photographers.