Out for Queer Blood - by Clayton Delery (Paperback)

About the Book

"On a September night in 1958, three New Orleans college students decided to entertain themselves by 'rolling a queer' and went looking for a gay man to assault. They chose Fernando Rios, a tour guide from Mexico, who died from the beating he received. The author examines the murder and the trial in detail"--

Book Synopsis

On a September night in 1958, three New Orleans college students went looking for a gay man to assault. They chose Fernando Rios, who died from the beating he received. In perhaps the earliest example of the "gay panic" defense, the three defendants argued that they had no choice but to beat Rios because he had made an "improper advance." When the jury acquitted the three, the courtroom cheered. The author offers a detailed examination of the murder and the trial.

Review Quotes

"A riveting and important work of grassroots LGBT history that reveals the connections and fissures between homophobia and anti-Latino prejudices in U.S. history. Delery unmasks the origins of one of the most sinister legal and cultural foundations of anti-gay oppression: the false accusation of desire and how it has been used to excuse injustice."-Sarah Schulman, award-winning writer and gays rights activist

"Bringing a deep understanding to his subject matter, Delery situates the tragic story of Rios within the context not only of homophobia but also of racism and xenophobia that was so prevalent in New Orleans and the nation at large during the 1950s. ... Out for Queer Blood is a major achievement."-Louisiana History

"Delery's treatment of a controversial period in New Orleans history (and in the history of the United States for that matter) needs to be commended for its robustness to chronicle this difficult time. The author draws on contemporary, as well as historical information, and personal experience to expose a larger cadre of disturbing issues than just a rampant homophobia and violence against homosexuals in 1950s-1960s New Orleans. Out for Queer Blood also exposes an inequitable justice system that favored outdated perceptions of sexuality viewing homosexuals more as deviants rather than human beings. As both an objective historian and true crime author, I can recommend Delery's Out for Queer Blood as an integral contribution to the true crime as well as historical genres."-Alan G. Gauthreaux, co-Author, Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicides.

Over the Rainbow Recommended Book List-Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA)

"A riveting and important work of grassroots LGBT history that reveals the connections and fissures between homophobia and anti-Latino prejudices in U.S. history. Delery unmasks the origins of one of the most sinister legal and cultural foundations of anti-gay oppression: the false accusation of desire and how it has been used to excuse injustice."--Sarah Schulman, award-winning writer and gays rights activist

"Bringing a deep understanding to his subject matter, Delery situates the tragic story of Rios within the context not only of homophobia but also of racism and xenophobia that was so prevalent in New Orleans and the nation at large during the 1950s. ... Out for Queer Blood is a major achievement."--Louisiana History

"Delery's treatment of a controversial period in New Orleans history (and in the history of the United States for that matter) needs to be commended for its robustness to chronicle this difficult time. The author draws on contemporary, as well as historical information, and personal experience to expose a larger cadre of disturbing issues than just a rampant homophobia and violence against homosexuals in 1950s-1960s New Orleans. Out for Queer Blood also exposes an inequitable justice system that favored outdated perceptions of sexuality viewing homosexuals more as deviants rather than human beings. As both an objective historian and true crime author, I can recommend Delery's Out for Queer Blood as an integral contribution to the true crime as well as historical genres."--Alan G. Gauthreaux, co-Author, Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicides.

Over the Rainbow Recommended Book List--Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA)

About the Author

Clayton Delery, a retired teacher from the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts previously published The Up Stairs Lounge Arson, which was named Book of the Year by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in 2015. He lives in New Orleans.