The Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History

Let’s use this space to discuss prospective sessions for the 2012 meeting of the AHA in Chicago. Proposals are due February 15, 2011.

I’d be interested in presenting some research from my dissertation on gay and lesbian activists’ interactions with the Federal Communications Commission during the 1970s, and how their experiences compared to those of other marginalized groups who used the federal government to influence the content of the mass media.

I was thinking this could fit well into a panel on unexpected areas of contact between the state and LGBT people and/or non-normative sexualities–beyond the military, police power, etc. This could either focus narrowly on the arts and culture (e.g., censorship, NEA grants) or more broadly on building off from recent work like Margot Canaday’s The Straight State.

Additionally, the call for proposals specifically seeks “‘experimental’ panels using forms of presentation not covered by these standard session types,” and I’d definitely be interested in the possibility of breaking out of the standard 3-4 papers and a comment formula.

Anyone else interested?

Brian,

Sounds great. I’m also interested in presenting a paper on censorship, physique magazines and gay consumer culture in the 50s and 60s. Seems like these might mesh well.

For this Christian Louboutin Galaxy   season, Cheryl: knee high boots or ankle boots? “Ankle every time. I think it’s because I’m short, I can’t do a knee boot.” Leopard print or pony skin? “Pony skin. I like monochrome, and anyway I think leopard can look a bit cheap.” Your black courts, are they Louboutins or Choose? “Jimmy Choom.”