Queer clout: Chicago and the rise of gay politics

Tracing the gay movement's trajectory since the 1950s from the closet to the corridors of power, 'Queer Clout' is the first book to weave together activism and electoral politics, shifting the story from the coastal gay meccas to the nation's great inland metropolis.

Timothy Stewart-Winter challenges the traditional division between the homophile and gay liberation movements, and stresses gay people's and African Americans' shared focus on police harassment.

He highlights the crucial role of black civil rights activists and political leaders in offering white gays and lesbians not only a model for protest but also an opening to join an emerging liberal coalition in city hall.