Rainbow Reading

This selection, When We Were Outlawas, offers a rare view of the life of a radical lesbian during the 70s. 

Rainbow Reading is our regular book club devoted to the full range of queer literary experiences. With bi-monthly "short reads" and rotating genres, it's perfect for commitment-phobes and those looking for a variety of reading experiences! Come every time or drop in when the selection intrigues you. Every text is LGBTQ-related; many are available for free and all are available in our library.

A sweeping memoir, a raw and intimate chronicle of a young activist torn between conflicting personal longings and political goals. When We Were Outlaws offers a rare view of the life of a radical lesbian during the early cultural struggle for gay rights, Women’s Liberation, and the New Left of the 1970s. 

Brash and ambitious, activist Jeanne Córdova is living with one woman and falling in love with another, but her passionate beliefs tell her that her first duty is “to the revolution” –to change the world and end discrimination against gays and lesbians.

By turns provocative and daringly honest, Cordova renders emblematic scenes of the era—ranging from strike protests to utopian music festivals, to underground meetings with radical fugitives—with period detail and evocative characters. For those who came of age in the ‘70s, and for those who weren’t around but still ask ‘What was it like?’ –Outlaws takes you back to re-live it. It also offers insights about ethics, decision making and strategy, still relevant today.