{"product_id":"aids-in-the-heartland-how-unlikely-coalitions-created-a-blueprint-for-lgbtq-politics-paperback","title":"AIDS in the Heartland: How Unlikely Coalitions Created a Blueprint for LGBTQ Politics - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eKatie Batza\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistories of AIDS in the United States typically regard San Francisco and New York to be the epicenters of the crisis. The Midwest, if considered at all, appears as a footnote to the social, medical, and political struggles of coastal queer communities. But the US heartland cultivated its own distinct strategies for survival that became the surprising and lasting blueprint for LGBTQ politics today. Unearthing this complex story, health activism expert Katie Batza masterfully illustrates the diversity, resilience, innovation, and influence of the Midwest's responses to the AIDS epidemic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough AIDS cases were relatively low compared to the coasts, the conservative political and religious landscape, lack of medical infrastructure, and diffuse gay communities brought Midwesterners together in unexpected ways. Weaving compelling oral histories with remarkable archival research, Batza sheds light on the moving stories of a constellation of essential responders such as crop duster pilots, church van drivers, nuns, tribal leaders, and synagogue ladies, in places such as decommissioned convents, backyard barbecues, high school gyms, and city parks. These unique collaborations fostered loud, radical queer politics and homonormative strategies alike, but the myth of a homogenously white, Christian, and heterosexual heartland endured. In \u003ci\u003eAIDS in the Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e, Batza contends that the respectability and palatability of the heart of the nation prevail as core values in national LGBTQ political strategies today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKatie Batza is chair of women, gender, and sexuality studies at the University of Kansas and author of \u003ci\u003eBefore AIDS: Gay Health Politics in the 1970s\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 182\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.42 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 14, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978298720557,"sku":"9781469690490","price":37.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/AT1LkFSAIq9781469690490.webp?v=1775801513","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/aids-in-the-heartland-how-unlikely-coalitions-created-a-blueprint-for-lgbtq-politics-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}