Bayard Rustin’s connection to queer history may have started with his very name

Long held as a prime example of late 18th century romantic male friendship in literature, in recent decades “Joseph and His Friend” has been reinterpreted by some LGBTQ writers and scholars as America’s first gay novel. “Even post-Stonewall there was a hesitation to say ‘Joseph and His Friend’ was a homosexual novel, let alone America’s first,” observed author L.A. Fields in her 2017 book, ‘The Annotated Joseph and His Friend: The Story of America’s First Gay Novel.’ “But it is still the strongest candidate.”Fields told NBC News that any earlier books with…