Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with John D'Emilio, 2017.Biographical NoteJohn D'Emilio is Professor of Gender and Women's Studies and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A pioneer in the field of LGBT studies and the history of sexuality, he is the author or editor of Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970 (University of Chicago Press, 1983); Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (University of Chicago Press, 2004 [The UC edition is 2004]); In a New Century: Essays on Queer History, Politics, and Community Life (University of Wisconsin Press, 2014); and Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America (University of Chicago Press, 1988), coauthored with Estelle B. Freedman and now in its third edition. His awards include the Brudner Prize from Yale University for lifetime contributions to gay and lesbian studies, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Publishing Triangle, and the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award of the Organization of American Historians.
Scope and ContentsJohn D'Emilio begins the interview by talking discussing his childhood in Brooklyn and attending Regis High School in Manhattan, prefacing his time at Columbia, his realization of his sexuality, and his sexuality's has played a role in his decisions. D'Emilio then describes his involvement with anti-war efforts on campus, the 1968 protests on campus, and draft evasion. After graduating from Columbia, went to graduate school for a history fellowship. He describes how he and his friends created what they called the "Gay Academic Union" during graduate school, and how this organization and other similar activities led to an engagement with the New York city Gay community that influenced his course of study. D'Emilio discusses how he met his partner, their move to North Carolina, and the experience of being among the few openly gay people living there. The session concludes with a description of moving to teach at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a comparison of life in Chicago and North Carolina. The second session begins with D'Emilio describing his separation from the Catholic Church after being raised a devout Catholic. He then discusses the Gay Academic Union, and the inspiration of the works of Jonathan Katz. He talks about his involvement in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and gay activism more generally. Throughout his interview, D’Emilio discusses the development of gay activism while he was at Columbia and the progress and change he saw in his subsequent academic career. He revisits the subject of college protest and regional differences in the LGBTQ experience. He concludes with a discussion about Bayard Rustin.
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2017.
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