Womack started school at the University of Mississippi but struggled to pay his tuition. As one of his friends complained to the Washington Post in 1978, while the mainstream press insisted on depicting Womack as a “fat, gay, albino” pornographer, he was a “charming, dynamic, thought-provoking man.” Lynn Womack, the son of Hazelhurst, Mississippi, tenant farmers. Such promotions would have been unthinkable as recently as the 1960s, when bars and restaurants were so unhospitable to people who presented as anything but straight that choosing the “wrong” place could end in a beating or arrest.Ī man’s torso was faintly visible on the cover of the International Guild Guide.Īmong the few safeguards available were crowdsourced guidebooks highlighting venues that welcomed gay guests: The Address Book and The Lavender Baedeker are two of the pre-Stonewall titles now commonly described as “gay Green Books,” in reference to The Negro Motorist Guidebook, which helped Black travelers avoid physical harm and discrimination.īut unlike those California-based publications, the International Guild Guide originated in the South.
Īs big restaurant groups jostle for queer dollars, Pride Month has emerged as a major occasion for LGBTQ limited time offers (LTOs), which is the acronymic way of saying that Dunkin’ has offered rainbow-sprinkled doughnuts and Shake Shack has served Pride Shakes in June. This article is republished from The Food Section.
