Award-Winning Historian of LGBTQ+ Politics and Culture
Dr. Eric Cervini: Biography at a Glance
- Dr. Eric Cervini is an award-winning author, producer, and historian of LGBTQ+ politics.
- He is the creator and Executive Producer of The Book of Queer, a queer history docu-series boasting six Emmy nominations and the largest all-queer cast in Hollywood history.
- His New York Times bestselling book The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. The United States of America covers the secret history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall. It became the first LGBTQ+ nonfiction book on the NY Times Bestseller list in 27 years.
- He launched ShopQueer.co, an independent bookshop that splits its profits with LGBTQ+ authors. ShopQueer. co was reimagined as Allstora, an independent, 100% author-owned digital bookshop created for ALL.
- His award-winning digital exhibitions have been featured in Harvard’s Rudenstine Gallery, and he has presented his research to audiences across the globe.
Videos
Biography
Dr. Eric Cervini is an award-winning author, producer, and historian of LGBTQ+ politics. His first book, The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It also won the Publishing Triangle's Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, The New York Times Editors' Choice, and the "Best Read of 2020" at the Queerties. Cervini is the creator and Executive Producer of The Book of Queer, a queer history docu-series boasting six Emmy nominations and the largest all-queer cast in Hollywood history, which premiered on Discovery+ and is now streaming on Max. He launched ShopQueer.co, an independent bookshop that splits its profits with LGBTQ+ authors. In March 2024, ShopQueer. co was reimagined as Allstora, an independent, 100% author-owned digital bookshop created for ALL, led by Cervini and Co-Founders Adam Powell and RuPaul.
Topics
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America
Harvard and Cambridge-trained historian, Dr. Eric Cervini expertly explains the cultural crossroads that America is currently facing in the timeless battle for gay rights. Based on firsthand accounts, recently declassified FBI records, and roughly 40,000 personal documents, Cervini uncovers the secret history of gay activism that began a generation before Stonewall. From public battles with Congress and FBI informants to murder and betrayal, Cervini chronicles the events that have led us to this exact moment.
Cervini also explores the intersectionality of several civil rights movements as he traces the forgotten ties that bound gay rights to the Black Freedom Movement, the New Left, lesbian activism, and trans resistance. Audiences will walk away with a new perspective on how we got to this point, and also what needs to happen next.
