I’m the author of two books on LGBTQ history and oral history methods, with a third book in progress. My books have been widely reviewed, and I’ve given keynotes at national conferences and contributed to public forums. Both books provide rich material for fiction writing and documentary films.
Wide Open Town
Drawing from oral histories, police and court records, tourist literature, and manuscript collections from local and state archives, Wide Open Town (UC Press, 2003) examines the history of San Francisco's LGBTQ communities from 1933-1965. It argues that queer public spaces emerged in San Francisco's post-Prohibition era as part of the city's long-term investment in gender-transgressive entertainments. It concludes that lesbian and gay civil rights movements sprang up in the late-1950s and 1960s not as a product of a unified rights-based movement but as a grassroots cultural movement that functioned as part of San Francisco's evolving tourist economy.
“Both insightful and highly readable, Boyd has excavated a queer prehistory of gay liberation movements in San Francisco.” Estelle B. Freeman, Stanford University
“Wide Open Town is a must-read…It’s original and powerful arguments are solidly supported by archival materials and oral history interviews.” Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy, University of Arizona
“Boyd spins out a fascinating story of a unique community … by rethinking the ways that major events in U.S. history, such as Prohibition and the Second World War, have shaped gay/lesbian history.” Leila Rupp, UC Santa Barbara
Bodies of Evidence
Published in 2012, Bodies of Evidence: The Practice of Queer Oral History (Oxford UP) is an edited volume of new work on queer oral history methods. This text pairs fourteen oral history excerpts alongside short commentaries by community-based oral historians working in LGBT and queer history. It examines what a queer approach to oral history might look like (what does it mean to queer historical methods?) and explains how important oral history methods have been to historians working in the field of LGBTQ history.
“This exciting, well-conceived collection examines the centrality of oral history to the development of LGBTQ history over the last four decades.” John Howard, King’s College London
“With its innovative format – oral history transcripts combined with comments avout the interview process – Bodies of Evidence powerfully demonstrates the methodological value of queer oral history.” Ann Cvetkovich, UT Austin
Book in Progress (Untitled)
I’m currently working on a trade book (UC Press) exploring the queer and trans history of six San Francisco neighborhoods: Barbary Coast/North Beach, Tenderloin, Polk Street, Haight-Ashbury, SoMa, and Castro/Mission. Each chapter features a neighborhood map highlighting key sites, an oral history, architectural histories, and a narrative connecting its queer and trans significance within the broader history of San Francisco. Designed as a resource for self-guided tours, the book expands the story of queer San Francisco beyond the Castro, uncovering its rich and diverse past across the city.