In the Shadow of Diagnosis

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Drawing on previously unseen case files, Regina Kunzel explores how 20th-century LGBTQ Americans navigated their identities in relation to psychiatric diagnoses. She highlights the complex dynamics of assimilation, accommodation, and resistance to the notion of being "sick," illustrating how individuals both accepted and challenged psychiatric authority. This nuanced examination reveals the interplay between LGBTQ identity and the expanding claims of psychiatry, emphasizing the power dynamics at play in the understanding of gender and sexual difference.