By: Erik Piepenburg

From a New York Times journalist, a culinary tour of gay restaurantstheir history, and how they evolved as a space of safety and celebration for the LGBTQ+ communityfull of joy, sex, sorrow, activism, and nostalgia.

Dining Outexploreshow gay people came of age, came out, and fought for their rights not just in gay bars or the streets,but in restaurants.Fromcruisy urban cafeterias of the 1920stomom-and-pop diners that fed the Stonewall generationtothe intersectional hotspots of the early 21st century. Using archival material, originalreporting andinterviews, and first-person accounts, Erik Piepenburg explores how LGBTQ restaurants shaped and continue to shape generations of gay Americans.

Through the eyes of a reporter and the stomach of a hungry gay man,Dining Outexamines the rise,impact and legaciesof the nation’s gay restaurants past, present, and future, connecting meals with memories. Hamburger Marys, Florent, a suburban Dennys queered by kids: Piepenburgexploreshow these and many other gay restaurants, coffee shops, diners, and unconventional eateries have chartedqueer placemaking and changed the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement for the better.