David K. Johnson

David K. Johnson is an award-winning historian and author. His first book, "The Lavender Scare," was made into a documentary film of the same name that garnered best documentary awards at over a dozen film festivals and was broadcast nationwide on PBS. His second book, "Buying Gay: How Physique Entrepreneurs Sparked a Movement" chronicles the rise of a gay commercial network in the years leading up to the Stonewall Riots. A nationally recognized authority on LGBT history, Professor Johnson has appeared on CNN, CBS Sunday Morning, and PBS. He has contributed to government reports and amicus briefs which document a history of anti-gay discrimination and thereby seek to expand civil rights protections and create a more inclusive educational curriculum. Born in New Hampshire, Professor Johnson earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, both in history. He has enjoyed fellowships from the National Humanities Center, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Social Science Research Council. As Professor in the History Department at the University of South Florida (Tampa), he teaches courses on the post-1945 U.S. and the history of gender and sexuality.