Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia

Rating:
Summary: Not so complete
Review: "Completely Queer" is a worthy attempt to produce a comprehensive, easily accessible encyclopedia that deals with the full spectrum of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Thus it is superior to Wayne Dynes's dismal "Encyclopedia of Homosexuality" of a few years back. Unfortunately, the authors left out major people, places and things in GLBT history and culture, and included some "flash in the pan" names that were big when this book was written but are no longer important or relevant. A revision is in order.

Rating:
Summary: Not so complete
Review: "Completely Queer" is a worthy attempt to produce a comprehensive, easily accessible encyclopedia that deals with the full spectrum of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Thus it is superior to Wayne Dynes's dismal "Encyclopedia of Homosexuality" of a few years back. Unfortunately, the authors left out major people, places and things in GLBT history and culture, and included some "flash in the pan" names that were big when this book was written but are no longer important or relevant. A revision is in order.

Rating:
Summary: a dumb review [unfortunatly no witty title for me}
Review: an exceptional guide to most anything ever remotely related to queer culture, issues or people. great for research. got it from my family for national coming out day even though im straight

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Occasionally Useful, But Ultimately Trivial
Review: At the risk of sounding snobbish, Hogan and Hudson's COMPLETELY QUEER will likely be more useful to the culturally disadvantaged than any one else: most of the entries are extremely obvious. Even so, I don't regret the purchase, for while it lacks depth it is indeed a useful starting point when one is confronted with a need for quick fact-checking re a movement, event, or name.

Perhaps the most attractive thing about the volume is the short biographies it offers of various gay authors, artists, and activists. Need to have a quick sketch of the life and career of James Baldwin? Patricia Nell Warren? Robert Mapplethorpe? Not only does COMPLETELY QUEER give you the basics, it has no hesitation in discussing sexuality as it impacted on their lives and work--something that few other texts care to address so frankly and which is quite refreshing to find.

The real trouble is that the text doesn't usually go far enough both overall and in terms of individual entries, and as a result COMPLETELY QUEER too often feels more like a collection of trivia than a serious reference text. That said, some entries are less factual than they are restatements of "pop knowledge" that may or not have any real basis in fact. I don't care what anyone, including Hogan and Hudson, has to say about it: although it seems possible on the basis of her work, we simply do not know for a fact that Sappho was sexually attracted to other women.

Some of the omissions are also quite startling, particularly in reference to non-homosexual individuals who had major impacts on the gay and lesbian community. Antigay campaigner Anita Byrant, who had a tremendous influence on national thinking re the gay and lesbian community in the 1970s, is mentioned on at least six pages but is not given a specific entry; Judy Garland, a major gay icon whose death likely contributed to the community mood that gave rise to the Stonewall Riots, is not mentioned at all.

Still, Hogan and Hudson make no pretense of being comprehensive, and in spite of these flaws COMPLETELY QUEER is well written, entertaining, and makes for an interesting coffee-table or bathroom book--the sort of thing you can pick up for a few minutes and find both generally informative and intriguing. Recommended in a general sort of way, just keep the above warnings in mind.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Completely Queer : The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia
Review: FANTASTIC ! I thouroghly enjoyed. Will be giving it to my best friend for Christmas.

A fact filled compendium. A MUST reference for "FAMILY & FRIENDS"

Rating:
Summary: Decent overview of important queer items, but...
Review: This enormous tome is a fairly good basic reference for people who are unaware of many items within queer culture or queer history; however, if you're craving an in-depth look at any of the subjects contained therein, you'll need to find another book.

What this encyclopedia does is to very briefly cover a huge list of popular and obscure names, events, organizations, movements, et cetera that have been in some way important to queer culture/history/et cetera. There are many (black & white) photos, great quotes, and fascinating tidbits of trivia, and although I did not read it cover-to-cover, I received quite an education.

It's a standard encyclopedia format, which doesn't lend itself well to sitting down and reading through; however, it's great for randomly looking stuff up, flipping through, or specifically seeking something out.