Queer Career: Sexuality and Work in Modern America

This rigorous and compelling book explores how LGBTQ+ workers navigated the U.S. workforce from the mid-20th century onwards. Canaday blends oral histories—over 150 interviews—with archival insight to reveal how queer individuals found community, endured exploitation, and shaped workplace dynamics amid broader social change. Rather than viewing work as a “straight space,” Queer Career reframes it as both a place of oppression and connection, showing how economic and political shifts deeply affected queer lives. Brimming with sharp historical analysis and deeply human stories, it offers a fresh lens on labor, identity, and belonging.

~ Included for its groundbreaking excavation of LGBTQ+ experiences within the workplace, highlighting how work has shaped queer identity, resilience, and visibility across decades. A vital cultural and historical study that brings labor into the heart of queer history. ~