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Lillian Faderman

リリアン・ファダーマン

Ririan Fadāman

Pen Names: Gigi Frost（Pseudonym used while nude modeling and in softcore film loops）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1940-07-18 （The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
The Bronx, New York City → Los Angeles, California → Fresno, California

Career

Occupations
Writer, Professor, Historian
Active Years
1965-2007
Affiliations
California State University, Fresno (Emeritus), University of California, Los Angeles (Visiting Professor)

Education

University of California, Berkeley
Country: United States
University of California, Los Angeles
Country: United States

Awards

The New York Times Notable Book
1981
Work: Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present
Organization: The New York Times
Result: 選出
Stonewall Book Award
1982
Work: Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: American Library Association (Stonewall Book Award)
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Award (Editor's Choice)
1992
Work: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
The New York Times Notable Book
1992
Work: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Organization: The New York Times
Result: 選出
Stonewall Book Award (Nonfiction)
1992
Work: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: American Library Association (Stonewall Book Award)
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Award for Best Non-fiction Book
2000
Work: To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian/Gay Anthology
2003
Work: Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir
Category: アンソロジー/回想録
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
James Brudner Prize
2001
Category: レズビアン/ゲイ研究
Organization: Yale University
Result: 受賞
Paul Monette-Roger Horwitz Trust Award
1999
Organization: Monette-Horwitz Trust
Result: 受賞
Bill Whitehead Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2004
Work: Naked in the Promised Land
Category: 生涯業績
Organization: Publishing Triangle
Result: 受賞
Judy Grahn Award for Memoir
2004
Work: Naked in the Promised Land
Category: 回想録
Organization: Publishing Triangle
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Awards (two awards)
2007
Work: Gay L. A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians
Category: ノンフィクション / 芸術文化
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: 受賞（2部門）
Lambda Literary Award (Pioneer Award)
2013
Category: 功労賞
Organization: Lambda Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
The New York Times Notable Book
2015
Work: The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle
Organization: The New York Times
Result: 選出
The Washington Post Notable Nonfiction
2015
Work: The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle
Organization: The Washington Post
Result: 選出
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Nonfiction)
2016
Work: The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Golden Crown Literary Society Trailblazer Award
2017
Category: 功労賞
Organization: Golden Crown Literary Society
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present

1981 History / Cultural studies

A scholarly study tracing romantic friendships and love between women from the Renaissance to the present, based on extensive archival and primary-source research.

Female intimacyReexamination of historical records

Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America

1991 Social / Cultural history

A landmark book depicting lesbian life and culture in twentieth-century America using personal records and oral histories, discussing social changes and community formation.

Community and identitySocial change

Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir

2003 Memoir

A candid memoir recounting Faderman's upbringing and youthful experiences (including nude modeling and softcore film work), and reflections on family and identity formation.

Personal memorySexuality and livelihood

To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History

1999 History

A history that highlights lesbians' contributions to American history and examines their broad social and cultural impact.

Making contributions visibleGender history

Gay L. A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians

2006 Local history / LGBT history

A coauthored history of Los Angeles's LGBT community, exploring power relations and social movements.

City and communityPower and movements

The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle

2015 Contemporary history / Social history

A sweeping account of the LGBT rights movement in the United States, drawing on extensive materials and testimony to trace the movement's trajectory.

Social movementsRights and transformation

Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death

2018 Biography

A multifaceted biography of activist Harvey Milk, examining his life, death, and political impact.

Political activismPersonal narrative

Woman: The American History of an Idea

2022 Intellectual / Social history

A study tracing the evolution of the idea of 'woman' in American history, examining the formation and shifts of gender concepts.

Intellectual historyGender studies

My Mother's Wars

2013 Memoir / Family history

A work recounting her mother's life and family history, focusing on how the Holocaust and immigrant experience shaped the author's life.

Family memoryLegacy of the Holocaust

Scotch Verdict: Miss Pirie and Miss Woods v. Dame Cumming Gordon

1983 Court case history / Legal history

A study of a historical court case, examining a 19th-century Scottish trial related to same-sex issues and its cultural implications.

Law and sexualityReappraisal of historical events
Adaptations
  • [Film] Miss Pirie and Miss Woods / Flora Nicholson & Sophie Heldman (2025)

Bibliography

  • Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present (1981)
  • Scotch Verdict: Miss Pirie and Miss Woods v. Dame Cumming Gordon (1983)
  • Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America (1991)
  • Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian and Bisexual Literature from the 17th Century to the Present (ed., 1994)
  • I Begin My Life All Over: The Hmong and the American Immigrant Experience (coauthored, 1998)
  • To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done For America - A History (1999)
  • Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir (2003)
  • Gay L. A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians (coauthored, 2006)
  • My Mother's Wars (2013)
  • The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle (2015)
  • Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death (2018)
  • Woman: The American History of an Idea (2022)

Adaptations

  • Miss Pirie and Miss Woods (film adaptation of Scotch Verdict, 2025)
  • Work inspired theatrical pieces such as Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour (historical inspiration)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly, detailed archival analysis based on primary sourcesMemoiristic and essayistic voice that interweaves personal experience
Recurring Motifs
Historicizing lesbian lifeDocumenting communityFamily and memory

Legacy

Lillian Faderman is regarded as a pioneering scholar in lesbian and LGBT history—often called 'the mother of lesbian history.' Through scholarly work and memoir she helped make communities visible and establish a foundation for further research.

Academic Societies

  • Publishing Triangle (related organization)
  • Lambda Literary community

Archives

  • Lillian Faderman papers (Online Archive of California)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of Scotch Verdict: Miss Pirie and Miss Woods (2025)

Quotes

  • I felt there was a need to locate lesbians in history.
    Source: Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir (2003) (2003)

Trivia

  • Worked as a nude model and appeared in softcore film loops under the pseudonym Gigi Frost in her youth.
  • Came out as a lesbian in the 1950s.
  • With partner Phyllis Irwin, raised a son (Avrom) conceived via artificial insemination.
  • Scotch Verdict was adapted into the film Miss Pirie and Miss Woods (2025).