Steel closets

Even as substantial legal and social victories are being celebrated within the gay rights movement, much of working-class America still exists outside the current narratives of gay liberation. Balay draws on oral history interviews with forty gay, lesbian, and transgender steelworkers, mostly living in northwest Indiana. They discuss what it means to be queer and shed light on the incredible homophobia and violence faced; most remain closeted at work, and many have experienced harassment, violence, or rape.