Porter Square Books welcomes biographer MARK ROBERT SCHNEIDER with his biography of the first openly gay congressman Gerry Studds, who served the Massachusetts South Shore, Cape Cod, and New Bedford congressional district from 1973 to 1997.
On the floor of Congress, Studds confessed to having behaved inappropriately and then courageously declared that he was a gay man— becoming the country’s first openly gay member of Congress. Defying all expectations, Studds won reelection in a bruising campaign. For the rest of his career, he remained loyal to his constituents’ concerns while also championing AIDS research and care, leading the effort in Congress to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military, and opposing the Defense of Marriage Act. Once a deeply conflicted man, he ultimately found a balance between his public service and his private life, which included a happy, legally recognized marriage.
This event is not ticketed.