The South Carolina Historical Society puts on an annual winter lecture series, and the theme this year is "Untold Stories of the American Revolution." The first lecture of the series will be "Vicious and Immoral: Homosexuality, the American Revolution, and the Trials of Robert Newburgh" presented by John G. McCurdy on February 11, 2025. This lecture speaks right to my special interests, and I'm sure many of you would be interested in attending the lecture too. You can register for this lecture and other lectures in the series here (both in-person and livestream options available). Other lectures in the series include "The Tory's Wife: A Woman and Her Family in Revolutionary Carolina," "A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom," and "Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence." It's certainly a great lineup of topics and speakers this year!
Surprisingly, I had never heard of John McCurdy or his works prior to this lecture announcement. It appears that his lecture will be based on his recent book of the same name. I've just started reading the book myself and have been enjoying it so far. It is interesting and refreshing to see a discussion of queer history so specifically framed in the context of the American Revolution. John McCurdy previously talked about this book at the Museum of the American Revolution, and you can watch that presentation here. He has a few other publications, including a book titled Citizen Bachelors: Manhood and the Creation of the United States. I've picked this one up as well but haven't had the chance to read it yet. I'm certainly excited to have found some new books that discuss sexuality and gender in late 18th century America.
