Encyclopedia of Homosexuality

Encyclopedia of Homosexuality

The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (1990) was edited by Wayne R. Dynes, with the assistance of associate editors William A. Percy, Warren Johansson, and Stephen Donaldson. It was published in two volumes by Garland Press in 1990, and contains 770 articles. A large amount of material relates to the history of male age-disparate sexual behavior, with the 1st volume using the word "pederasty" over 300 times. The book won 6 prizes, and many MAP ally scholars contributed. Among those, we have created pages on Vern Bullough, John P. De Cecco, Hubert Kennedy, Gert Hekma, Donald Mader, William Percy, Warren Johansson, Stephen Wayne Foster, Walter Breen, and Walter L. Williams. Many relevant topics and historical figures have dedicated entries, including topics covered on Newgon such as Andre Gide, John Henry Mackay, Thomas Mann, Norman Douglas, Horatio Alger, Guy Hocquenghem, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Henry de Montherlant, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde and Benjamin Britten. However, many other relevant figures and topics are included for which we do not have dedicated pages. The encyclopedia is a feat of scholarship and collaboration, and represents a crucial reference point for the history of what we would now call MAPs, being linked historically to LGBT through pederasty: once being the dominant form of male same-sex practice.

Publication controversy

In 1995, the Encyclopedia was withdrawn by its publisher Garland, following accusations in the Chronicle of Higher Education that the editor, Dynes, had published articles under the pseudonym Evelyn Gettone. Dynes admitted that he had done so and apologized. Dynes subsequently said that this was due to "a pressure group of leftist and feminist activists who viewed the Encyclopedia as lacking in political correctness". In 2016, Routledge re-published the work, linked above.

Pederasty and Pedophilia

Volume 2 contains lengthy general entries on "pederasty" and "pedophilia." The latter (authored by Joseph Geraci and Donald Mader begins with:

"This article refers to mutually consensual affective relationships between adults, on the one hand, and pre-pubertal children, those undergoing puberty, and adolescents, on the other, occurring outside the family, and which include a sexual component" (p. 964).

The encyclopedia has been suggested as a starting point (along with BoyWiki, NewgonWiki (this website), historical Wikipedia archives, williamapercy.com and greek-love.com) for a concise "Encyclopedia of Pederasty", something that has not yet been attempted by Western scholars. Newgon has a 7-15 year plan (as of 2023) to produce subprojects of concise articles on various topics including pederasty - sometimes described as uncensorable online "encyclopedias" in their own right.

Archived copies

• Encyclopedia of homosexuality. Volume I. Routledge, Routledge revivals, 2016 (External archive).
• Encyclopedia of homosexuality. Volume II. Routledge, Routledge revivals, 2016 (External archive).