Will Marriage ‘Cure’ the Lesbian? and other books we can’t believe actually existed
A 1960s book is causing a stir online – asking whether lesbians are a threat to “young virgins” and whether marriage can “cure” lesbians.
The paperback by Dr Albert Reissner was shared on Reddit and Tumblr after being posted on lesbian paperback website Strange Sisters.
The book’s chapter titles include ‘let’s meet the lesbian’, ‘three lesbian techniques’, ‘lesbians among us’, ‘facts and fiction about lesbians’, ‘why does a girl become a homosexual?’, ‘Why wasn’t I born a boy?’, ‘Can you recognise a homosexual?’, ‘Born or made?’, ‘Lesbian love behind bars’, ‘Lesbians as frigid females’, ‘The homosexual fear of normal sex’, and ‘Will marriage cure the lesbian?’.
The book sells itself as “The complete story of lesbians, with dramatic case histories taken from real life”, offering the “truth” about lesbians”.
It also asks: “Do lesbians like to rape young virgin girls? Are lesbians really bi-sexual and capable of satisfying both sexes?”
The website aims to collate the distorted lesbian fiction of the 1950s and ’60s, noting: “It’s easy to imagine the words being spoken in hushed tones, one eyebrow raised, under late-night streetlights: ‘Hey mac, get a load of those strange sisters’.”
It aims to collect books from the time when lesbianism was acknowledged, but not yet accepted in mainstream society – fetishised for erotic novels, or sensationalised for scaremongering,
It chronicles a number of ‘lesbian’ books from the era – including the memorably titled ‘Satan was a lesbian’
Other firm favourites: Adam and TWO Eves?!
And don’t forget your appointment… FOR SIN!
The author notes: “With very few exceptions, the criteria for my collection are: two women on the cover, painted covers (as opposed to photo covers – there are hundreds), and nothing past 1969.
“There are some paperbacks on this site that very well may not contain a single lesbian in the text, but as long as the cover artwork SUGGESTS lesbians, they’re in.”
Click here to see more covers in all their glory
