Local Bookstore Explores Minnesota's Hidden LGBT History

Wednesday evening, East Harriet bookstore Magers & Quinn will play host to Stewart Van Cleve, author of a new book on the history of Minnesota's LGBT community.

"Land of 10,000 Loves: A History of Queer Minnesota" was published last month by the University of Minnesota Press.

Minneapolis maybe home to the largest gay pride festival in the United States, but it's gay (and lesbian and bisexual and transgender) history has gone largely unremarked beyond a few tight circles of activists and community leaders. Van Cleve's research delved into all corners of history, from the personal experiences of local LGBT leaders to dusty old rumors of homosexual hanky-panky involving Minnesota's first governor, Alexander Ramsey.

The book started with a 2010 research project "The 100 Queerest Places in the Twin Cities" when Van Cleve was a researcher at the University of Minnesota's Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, an archive of local LGBT history. "Land of 10,000 Loves" has been well-received so far, snagging endorsements from LGBT luminaries like cartoonist Allison Bechdel, who called it "a real page turner" in a review posted on the publisher's website.

The book's launch party at Magers & Quinn at 31st and Hennepin will start at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10.