Coming Out of the Shadows: A Social and Educative History of Male Same-Sex Sexualities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1836-2006

Abstract

This dissertation presents an educative history of male same-sex sexualities in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Using archival sources and oral history interviews of men who experienced some of these turbulent times, it provides insight into the development of gay culture and social life. From the Native American two-spirit roots in the mid nineteenth century to the twentieth century when white settlers developed the settlement into a booming oil city, this work gives a socio-educational voice to a community that has historically been overlooked.