My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body

My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body

Author: Carol Sherman-Jones

Publisher: Five Star Publishing (MI)

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13:

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There is little about Carol Sherman-Jones' life that one could characterise as normal. How many other sixth graders do you know who would hire the playground bully to break her arm just so she could get some attention? How many people do you know who have wrestled a midget in lime Jell-O to earn some rent money? How many people do you know who have purchased a run-down bar for one dollar and then, with no business experience whatsoever, turned it into wildly successful gay bar? Carol Sherman-Jones has done all that and a lot more. With an irrepressibly irreverent wit, she shares all in her autobiography titled My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body. In what she describes as an extremely cathartic experience, Sherman-Jones bares her most painful secrets as well as her most incredible highs.


Book Synopsis My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body by : Carol Sherman-Jones

Download or read book My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body written by Carol Sherman-Jones and published by Five Star Publishing (MI). This book was released on 2001 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is little about Carol Sherman-Jones' life that one could characterise as normal. How many other sixth graders do you know who would hire the playground bully to break her arm just so she could get some attention? How many people do you know who have wrestled a midget in lime Jell-O to earn some rent money? How many people do you know who have purchased a run-down bar for one dollar and then, with no business experience whatsoever, turned it into wildly successful gay bar? Carol Sherman-Jones has done all that and a lot more. With an irrepressibly irreverent wit, she shares all in her autobiography titled My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman's Body. In what she describes as an extremely cathartic experience, Sherman-Jones bares her most painful secrets as well as her most incredible highs.


Love What Matters

Love What Matters

Author: LoveWhatMatters

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-05-02

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1501169149

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In the bestselling tradition of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Humans of New York comes a collection of authentic, emotional, and inspiring stories about life’s most important moments, as curated by the editors at Love What Matters. “90% of the reads bring me to tears. I just can't believe the love this world truly has when all we see is hate. This is so uplifting.” —Shelsea Where do you go when you want to feel inspired? When you want to forget about the divisiveness and the anger? For over five million people, that place is Love What Matters, a digital platform dedicated to finding and sharing the daily moments of kindness, compassion, and love that so often go overlooked. This curated collection of powerful stories features first person accounts and photographs that perfectly capture each moment: A husband learning he’s about to be a dad. A new mom embracing her body. A cashier inadvertently teaching a young girl a lesson about patience. A bagel from a stranger that saved a homeless man’s life. From long overdue adoptions to military heroes returning home; from a fireman’s touching 9/11 tribute to what an old dinner plate found at a bake sale can teach us all about life—these are the moments that matter. They are genuine. Authentic. Raw. And they are perfect in their imperfection—just like all of us. You will no doubt experience goosebumps and tears, but this mosaic of life’s moments will leave you with something even more profound: a reminder that, in the end, love always wins. “This really is the best page on Facebook. It renews your love of humanity. There are still good people. We need more reports of acts of kindness.” —Johnny


Book Synopsis Love What Matters by : LoveWhatMatters

Download or read book Love What Matters written by LoveWhatMatters and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the bestselling tradition of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Humans of New York comes a collection of authentic, emotional, and inspiring stories about life’s most important moments, as curated by the editors at Love What Matters. “90% of the reads bring me to tears. I just can't believe the love this world truly has when all we see is hate. This is so uplifting.” —Shelsea Where do you go when you want to feel inspired? When you want to forget about the divisiveness and the anger? For over five million people, that place is Love What Matters, a digital platform dedicated to finding and sharing the daily moments of kindness, compassion, and love that so often go overlooked. This curated collection of powerful stories features first person accounts and photographs that perfectly capture each moment: A husband learning he’s about to be a dad. A new mom embracing her body. A cashier inadvertently teaching a young girl a lesson about patience. A bagel from a stranger that saved a homeless man’s life. From long overdue adoptions to military heroes returning home; from a fireman’s touching 9/11 tribute to what an old dinner plate found at a bake sale can teach us all about life—these are the moments that matter. They are genuine. Authentic. Raw. And they are perfect in their imperfection—just like all of us. You will no doubt experience goosebumps and tears, but this mosaic of life’s moments will leave you with something even more profound: a reminder that, in the end, love always wins. “This really is the best page on Facebook. It renews your love of humanity. There are still good people. We need more reports of acts of kindness.” —Johnny


Strung Out

Strung Out

Author: Erin Khar

Publisher: Harlequin

Published: 2020-02-25

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1488056323

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“This is a story she needed to tell; and the rest of the country needs to listen.” — New York Times Book Review “This vital memoir will change how we look at the opioid crisis and how the media talks about it. A deeply moving and emotional read, STRUNG OUT challenges our preconceived ideas of what addiction looks like.” —Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of Maid In this deeply personal and illuminating memoir about her fifteen-year struggle with heroin, Khar sheds profound light on the opioid crisis and gives a voice to the over two million people in America currently battling with this addiction. Growing up in LA, Erin Khar hid behind a picture-perfect childhood filled with excellent grades, a popular group of friends and horseback riding. After first experimenting with her grandmother’s expired painkillers, Khar started using heroin when she was thirteen. The drug allowed her to escape from pressures to be perfect and suppress all the heavy feelings she couldn’t understand. This fiercely honest memoir explores how heroin shaped every aspect of her life for the next fifteen years and details the various lies she told herself, and others, about her drug use. With enormous heart and wisdom, she shows how the shame and stigma surrounding addiction, which fuels denial and deceit, is so often what keeps addicts from getting help. There is no one path to recovery, and for Khar, it was in motherhood that she found the inner strength and self-forgiveness to quit heroin and fight for her life. Strung Out is a life-affirming story of resilience while also a gripping investigation into the psychology of addiction and why people turn to opioids in the first place.


Book Synopsis Strung Out by : Erin Khar

Download or read book Strung Out written by Erin Khar and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This is a story she needed to tell; and the rest of the country needs to listen.” — New York Times Book Review “This vital memoir will change how we look at the opioid crisis and how the media talks about it. A deeply moving and emotional read, STRUNG OUT challenges our preconceived ideas of what addiction looks like.” —Stephanie Land, New York Times bestselling author of Maid In this deeply personal and illuminating memoir about her fifteen-year struggle with heroin, Khar sheds profound light on the opioid crisis and gives a voice to the over two million people in America currently battling with this addiction. Growing up in LA, Erin Khar hid behind a picture-perfect childhood filled with excellent grades, a popular group of friends and horseback riding. After first experimenting with her grandmother’s expired painkillers, Khar started using heroin when she was thirteen. The drug allowed her to escape from pressures to be perfect and suppress all the heavy feelings she couldn’t understand. This fiercely honest memoir explores how heroin shaped every aspect of her life for the next fifteen years and details the various lies she told herself, and others, about her drug use. With enormous heart and wisdom, she shows how the shame and stigma surrounding addiction, which fuels denial and deceit, is so often what keeps addicts from getting help. There is no one path to recovery, and for Khar, it was in motherhood that she found the inner strength and self-forgiveness to quit heroin and fight for her life. Strung Out is a life-affirming story of resilience while also a gripping investigation into the psychology of addiction and why people turn to opioids in the first place.


Straight Wives, Shattered Lives

Straight Wives, Shattered Lives

Author: Bonnie Kaye

Publisher: CCB Publishing

Published: 2011-02

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1926918320

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Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed. is the nationally acclaimed counseling expert in the field of straight/gay marriages. She explains in her introduction how these marriages happen, and she concludes the book with her own personal words of encouragement. This book explores the lives of 27 women who are part of Bonnie Kaye's support group from around the world. Their heartfelt and moving stories in their own words tell about the marriages to their gay husbands and the debilitating effects that resulted. These stories explore the inner workings of the women's shattered lives and how they are working to make themselves whole after this experience. About the Author Bonnie Kaye is an internationally recognized Relationship Counselor/Author in the field of straight/gay marriages. She has provided relationship counseling for over 25 years with more than 65,000 women who have sexually dysfunctional husbands due to homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism or sexual addictions. She is considered an authority in this field by other professionals and the media. Kaye has published five books on straight/gay relationships, which have sold thousands of copies. Her website www.Gayhusbands.com has consistently remained in the number one position on Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines since it's launching in 2000. When media contacts want an expert, they come to Bonnie Kaye who has more experience and expertise than any other person in this country. Her official book website is located at www.BonnieKayeBooks.com. Kaye's other books include: "The Gay Husband Checklist for Women Who Wonder; Doomed Grooms: Gay Husbands of Straight Wives; ManReaders: A Woman's Guide to Dysfunctional Men; Bonnie Kaye's Straight Talk;" and "How I Made My Husband Gay: Myths About Straight Wives."


Book Synopsis Straight Wives, Shattered Lives by : Bonnie Kaye

Download or read book Straight Wives, Shattered Lives written by Bonnie Kaye and published by CCB Publishing. This book was released on 2011-02 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bonnie Kaye, M.Ed. is the nationally acclaimed counseling expert in the field of straight/gay marriages. She explains in her introduction how these marriages happen, and she concludes the book with her own personal words of encouragement. This book explores the lives of 27 women who are part of Bonnie Kaye's support group from around the world. Their heartfelt and moving stories in their own words tell about the marriages to their gay husbands and the debilitating effects that resulted. These stories explore the inner workings of the women's shattered lives and how they are working to make themselves whole after this experience. About the Author Bonnie Kaye is an internationally recognized Relationship Counselor/Author in the field of straight/gay marriages. She has provided relationship counseling for over 25 years with more than 65,000 women who have sexually dysfunctional husbands due to homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism or sexual addictions. She is considered an authority in this field by other professionals and the media. Kaye has published five books on straight/gay relationships, which have sold thousands of copies. Her website www.Gayhusbands.com has consistently remained in the number one position on Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines since it's launching in 2000. When media contacts want an expert, they come to Bonnie Kaye who has more experience and expertise than any other person in this country. Her official book website is located at www.BonnieKayeBooks.com. Kaye's other books include: "The Gay Husband Checklist for Women Who Wonder; Doomed Grooms: Gay Husbands of Straight Wives; ManReaders: A Woman's Guide to Dysfunctional Men; Bonnie Kaye's Straight Talk;" and "How I Made My Husband Gay: Myths About Straight Wives."


How I Made My Husband Gay

How I Made My Husband Gay

Author: Bonnie Kaye

Publisher: CCB Publishing

Published: 2007-11-05

Total Pages: 188

ISBN-13: 097843885X

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How I Made My Husband Gay is a self-help book for women who learn or suspect that they may be married to a gay/bisexual man. Compiled, edited, and contributed to by Bonnie Kaye, M. Ed., the international expert in the field of straight/gay marriages, this book helps women by revealing the signs and patterns in their marriages that could be Red Flags. There are 35 stories from members of Kaye's international support group who talk about those signs they initially missed, as well as how they were blamed by their gay husbands for the failures in the marriages. Kaye also has her women discuss ways that they caught their husbands, as well as how they started over after ending the marriage which she refers to as a mis-marriage or a mistake of a marriage. About the Author: Kaye has counseled more than 30,000 straight women and 2,000 gay men since 1984 after the demise of her own marriage to a gay man. She hits home the message that gay men have no choice in their homosexuality - but they do have a choice in being honest about it. She works with women to help them rebuild their lives after the end of their marriages, and strongly advocates divorce in an amicable way whenever possible. Kaye consults for the major news media, and her website at www.Gayhusbands.com is used as a resource for shows including Oprah, Montel, and Tyra Banks. She has appeared on numerous national news shows including CNN and FOX News with her message that homosexuality does not belong in a marriage to a straight partner. Kaye is also a strong advocate for gay rights and publicly speaks about the need for society to accept gay people for who they are instead of fighting to change them into who they are not. This is Kaye's fourth book on this topic. Her other books include Is He Straight? A Checklist for Women Who Wonder, Doomed Grooms: Gay Husbands of Straight Wives, and Straight Wives: Shattered Lives.


Book Synopsis How I Made My Husband Gay by : Bonnie Kaye

Download or read book How I Made My Husband Gay written by Bonnie Kaye and published by CCB Publishing. This book was released on 2007-11-05 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How I Made My Husband Gay is a self-help book for women who learn or suspect that they may be married to a gay/bisexual man. Compiled, edited, and contributed to by Bonnie Kaye, M. Ed., the international expert in the field of straight/gay marriages, this book helps women by revealing the signs and patterns in their marriages that could be Red Flags. There are 35 stories from members of Kaye's international support group who talk about those signs they initially missed, as well as how they were blamed by their gay husbands for the failures in the marriages. Kaye also has her women discuss ways that they caught their husbands, as well as how they started over after ending the marriage which she refers to as a mis-marriage or a mistake of a marriage. About the Author: Kaye has counseled more than 30,000 straight women and 2,000 gay men since 1984 after the demise of her own marriage to a gay man. She hits home the message that gay men have no choice in their homosexuality - but they do have a choice in being honest about it. She works with women to help them rebuild their lives after the end of their marriages, and strongly advocates divorce in an amicable way whenever possible. Kaye consults for the major news media, and her website at www.Gayhusbands.com is used as a resource for shows including Oprah, Montel, and Tyra Banks. She has appeared on numerous national news shows including CNN and FOX News with her message that homosexuality does not belong in a marriage to a straight partner. Kaye is also a strong advocate for gay rights and publicly speaks about the need for society to accept gay people for who they are instead of fighting to change them into who they are not. This is Kaye's fourth book on this topic. Her other books include Is He Straight? A Checklist for Women Who Wonder, Doomed Grooms: Gay Husbands of Straight Wives, and Straight Wives: Shattered Lives.


Straight Wives Shattered Lives Volume 2

Straight Wives Shattered Lives Volume 2

Author: Bonnie Kaye

Publisher: CCB Publishing

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1926918835

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Women across the world tell their stories about marriages to a gay/bisexual husband. Their heartbreaking stories tell about the debilitating effects that resulted when they learned the truth about why their marriages were failing, and how they are finding the strength to make themselves whole again.


Book Synopsis Straight Wives Shattered Lives Volume 2 by : Bonnie Kaye

Download or read book Straight Wives Shattered Lives Volume 2 written by Bonnie Kaye and published by CCB Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women across the world tell their stories about marriages to a gay/bisexual husband. Their heartbreaking stories tell about the debilitating effects that resulted when they learned the truth about why their marriages were failing, and how they are finding the strength to make themselves whole again.


Gay Girl, Good God

Gay Girl, Good God

Author: Jackie Hill Perry

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2018-09-03

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1462751237

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“I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.


Book Synopsis Gay Girl, Good God by : Jackie Hill Perry

Download or read book Gay Girl, Good God written by Jackie Hill Perry and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2018-09-03 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.


Behind Every Great Woman There Is a Fabulous Gay Man

Behind Every Great Woman There Is a Fabulous Gay Man

Author: Dave Singleton

Publisher: Corgi

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9780552154703

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Every girl needs a gay best friend. Gay of straight, men are men so who better to give you a no-holds-barred glimpse into the mysterious world of what men really think? Your female friends may be full of sympathy but Dave Singleton understands how the male mind owrks and has your best interest at heart. Witty and razor-sharp, this indispensable book tells youhow to avoid the pitfalls of the dating game, live stylishly and be even more fabulous than you already are.


Book Synopsis Behind Every Great Woman There Is a Fabulous Gay Man by : Dave Singleton

Download or read book Behind Every Great Woman There Is a Fabulous Gay Man written by Dave Singleton and published by Corgi. This book was released on 2007 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every girl needs a gay best friend. Gay of straight, men are men so who better to give you a no-holds-barred glimpse into the mysterious world of what men really think? Your female friends may be full of sympathy but Dave Singleton understands how the male mind owrks and has your best interest at heart. Witty and razor-sharp, this indispensable book tells youhow to avoid the pitfalls of the dating game, live stylishly and be even more fabulous than you already are.


Is My Husband Gay, Straight, or Bi?

Is My Husband Gay, Straight, or Bi?

Author: Joe Kort

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-09-11

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 144222326X

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Jennifer can’t believe it. Just married and pregnant, she discovers that her husband has been meeting Brad for sex. When confronted, Tom doesn’t deny it, but he insists it’s just “a thing” and he isn’t gay. Elsewhere, John’s wife, Karen, discovers that her husband likes to watch gay porn. John doesn’t understand his wife’s reaction. Why does she care what he watches if he’s not unfaithful? In couple’s therapy, Karen and Jennifer raise the same questions: Does this mean my husband is gay? Can my marriage survive? These and other stories illustrate the difficulties inherent when a wife or girlfriend finds out her man has had or wants to have sexual contact with other men. But many times, the man is not gay or even bisexual. Of course, some men with gay sexual interests are gay men in a process of self-discovery; they are “coming out.” These desires may only reflect a different side of a man’s sexuality or some response to childhood trauma or experiences they have not fully processed. Here Joe Kort and Alexander P. Morgan make the distinction between gay men and “straight men with gay interests” clearer to women who want to know how they can overcome these revelations. The authors explain the many reasons why straight men may be drawn to gay sex; how to tell whether a man is gay, straight, or bisexual; and what the various options are for these couples, who can often go on to have very fulfilling marriages. Is My Husband Gay, Straight or Bi? is intended to help couples understand how male sexuality can express itself in ways that may be difficult to understand. Many marriages have been hurriedly terminated when couples (and their therapists) have lacked the information they needed to understand their current situations. This book provides the clarity, describes the choices, and (in many cases) offers hope for relationships and marriages that have been brushed off as doomed.


Book Synopsis Is My Husband Gay, Straight, or Bi? by : Joe Kort

Download or read book Is My Husband Gay, Straight, or Bi? written by Joe Kort and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2014-09-11 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jennifer can’t believe it. Just married and pregnant, she discovers that her husband has been meeting Brad for sex. When confronted, Tom doesn’t deny it, but he insists it’s just “a thing” and he isn’t gay. Elsewhere, John’s wife, Karen, discovers that her husband likes to watch gay porn. John doesn’t understand his wife’s reaction. Why does she care what he watches if he’s not unfaithful? In couple’s therapy, Karen and Jennifer raise the same questions: Does this mean my husband is gay? Can my marriage survive? These and other stories illustrate the difficulties inherent when a wife or girlfriend finds out her man has had or wants to have sexual contact with other men. But many times, the man is not gay or even bisexual. Of course, some men with gay sexual interests are gay men in a process of self-discovery; they are “coming out.” These desires may only reflect a different side of a man’s sexuality or some response to childhood trauma or experiences they have not fully processed. Here Joe Kort and Alexander P. Morgan make the distinction between gay men and “straight men with gay interests” clearer to women who want to know how they can overcome these revelations. The authors explain the many reasons why straight men may be drawn to gay sex; how to tell whether a man is gay, straight, or bisexual; and what the various options are for these couples, who can often go on to have very fulfilling marriages. Is My Husband Gay, Straight or Bi? is intended to help couples understand how male sexuality can express itself in ways that may be difficult to understand. Many marriages have been hurriedly terminated when couples (and their therapists) have lacked the information they needed to understand their current situations. This book provides the clarity, describes the choices, and (in many cases) offers hope for relationships and marriages that have been brushed off as doomed.


Stand by Me

Stand by Me

Author: Jim Downs

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 2016-03-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 046509855X

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From a prominent young historian, the untold story of the rich variety of gay life in America in the 1970s Despite the tremendous gains of the LGBT movement in recent years, the history of gay life in this country remains poorly understood. According to conventional wisdom, gay liberation started with the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village in 1969. The 1970s represented a moment of triumph -- both political and sexual -- before the AIDS crisis in the subsequent decade, which, in the view of many, exposed the problems inherent in the so-called "gay lifestyle". In Stand by Me, the acclaimed historian Jim Downs rewrites the history of gay life in the 1970s, arguing that the decade was about much more than sex and marching in the streets. Drawing on a vast trove of untapped records at LGBT community centers in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, Downs tells moving, revelatory stories of gay people who stood together -- as friends, fellow believers, and colleagues -- to create a sense of community among people who felt alienated from mainstream American life. As Downs shows, gay people found one another in the Metropolitan Community Church, a nationwide gay religious group; in the pages of the Body Politic, a newspaper that encouraged its readers to think of their sexuality as a political identity; at the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore, the hub of gay literary life in New York City; and at theaters putting on "Gay American History," a play that brought to the surface the enduring problem of gay oppression. These and many other achievements would be largely forgotten after the arrival in the early 1980s of HIV/AIDS, which allowed critics to claim that sex was the defining feature of gay liberation. This reductive narrative set back the cause of gay rights and has shaped the identities of gay people for decades. An essential act of historical recovery, Stand by Me shines a bright light on a triumphant moment, and will transform how we think about gay life in America from the 1970s into the present day.


Book Synopsis Stand by Me by : Jim Downs

Download or read book Stand by Me written by Jim Downs and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a prominent young historian, the untold story of the rich variety of gay life in America in the 1970s Despite the tremendous gains of the LGBT movement in recent years, the history of gay life in this country remains poorly understood. According to conventional wisdom, gay liberation started with the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village in 1969. The 1970s represented a moment of triumph -- both political and sexual -- before the AIDS crisis in the subsequent decade, which, in the view of many, exposed the problems inherent in the so-called "gay lifestyle". In Stand by Me, the acclaimed historian Jim Downs rewrites the history of gay life in the 1970s, arguing that the decade was about much more than sex and marching in the streets. Drawing on a vast trove of untapped records at LGBT community centers in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, Downs tells moving, revelatory stories of gay people who stood together -- as friends, fellow believers, and colleagues -- to create a sense of community among people who felt alienated from mainstream American life. As Downs shows, gay people found one another in the Metropolitan Community Church, a nationwide gay religious group; in the pages of the Body Politic, a newspaper that encouraged its readers to think of their sexuality as a political identity; at the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore, the hub of gay literary life in New York City; and at theaters putting on "Gay American History," a play that brought to the surface the enduring problem of gay oppression. These and many other achievements would be largely forgotten after the arrival in the early 1980s of HIV/AIDS, which allowed critics to claim that sex was the defining feature of gay liberation. This reductive narrative set back the cause of gay rights and has shaped the identities of gay people for decades. An essential act of historical recovery, Stand by Me shines a bright light on a triumphant moment, and will transform how we think about gay life in America from the 1970s into the present day.