"Boys at Sea" is a study of homoerotic life in the Royal Navy during the age of sail. It deals not only with sex among ordinary crewmen, but reveals that the most consistent feature of prosecutions for sodomy and indecency involved officers forcing their attentions on ships' boys. The book traces every feature of sexuality at sea, and provides a probing look at a dark and terrifying aspect of the lives of youngsters who served in Britain's warships.

A candid re-examination of what it means to be a gay man Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws: Sexual Oppression and Gender Hierarchies in Queer Men's Lives explores the impact and effects of sexual oppression and power relationships within the gay male community. This controversial book features thoughtful and provocative essays from authors, educators, and activists who challenge the stigmatization and issues of power they face as gay men who don't fit the masculine mold formed by the gay porn industry and the media. Their poignant words reveal the sting of finding discrimination and alienation where least expected as the rise of sexualized hyper-masculinity, racism, and femiphobia among gay men has created a need to re-examine appropriate gay male identity and sexuality. Editors Christopher Kendall and Wayne Martino, who have written about and researched the negative side of gay male pornography, the links between sexism and homophobia, gay male suicide, and the impact of masculinity and sexuality on gay men, divide the book's powerful essays into two sections: The Dynamics of Sex/Gender Oppression and When Gender Harms and Oppression Becomes the Norm. The first section challenges the assumptions that form the basis of gay male identity. Relying on the work of radical feminists and cultural theorists, the authors explore the meaning of gender in a society that expects men to act according to a masculine idealand punishes them when they don't. The book's second section analyzes the reality of gender oppression caused by inequality and sexualized gender hierarchies. Contributors discuss what can happen when gay men take seriously the sexual role models that are offered and what happens if they dare to reject them. Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws examines: effeminacy in gay men's lives the idealization of the gay male body straight-acting masculinities and the rejection of the feminine narcissism, masculinity, and body absorption racialized masculinity the feminization of the Asian gay male in gay pornography gay male rape domestic violence and much more! Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws is an eye-opening re-evaluation of what being gay means, why being gay is still considered socially unacceptable, and how the gay male community can respond to systemic stigmatization and hate.

A candid re-examination of what it means to be a gay man Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws: Sexual Oppression and Gender Hierarchies in Queer Men's Lives explores the impact and effects of sexual oppression and power relationships within the gay male community. This controversial book features thoughtful and provocative essays from authors, educators, and activists who challenge the stigmatization and issues of power they face as gay men who don't fit the masculine mold formed by the gay porn industry and the media. Their poignant words reveal the sting of finding discrimination and alienation where least expected as the rise of sexualized hyper-masculinity, racism, and femiphobia among gay men has created a need to re-examine appropriate gay male identity and sexuality. Editors Christopher Kendall and Wayne Martino, who have written about and researched the negative side of gay male pornography, the links between sexism and homophobia, gay male suicide, and the impact of masculinity and sexuality on gay men, divide the book's powerful essays into two sections: The Dynamics of Sex/Gender Oppression and When Gender Harms and Oppression Becomes the Norm. The first section challenges the assumptions that form the basis of gay male identity. Relying on the work of radical feminists and cultural theorists, the authors explore the meaning of gender in a society that expects men to act according to a masculine idealand punishes them when they don't. The book's second section analyzes the reality of gender oppression caused by inequality and sexualized gender hierarchies. Contributors discuss what can happen when gay men take seriously the sexual role models that are offered and what happens if they dare to reject them. Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws examines: effeminacy in gay men's lives the idealization of the gay male body straight-acting masculinities and the rejection of the feminine narcissism, masculinity, and body absorption racialized masculinity the feminization of the Asian gay male in gay pornography gay male rape domestic violence and much more! Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws is an eye-opening re-evaluation of what being gay means, why being gay is still considered socially unacceptable, and how the gay male community can respond to systemic stigmatization and hate.

The book that can help you reconcile being both gay and Catholic Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men spotlights testimonials from over thirty gay Catholic men to answer the question, How can you be gay and Catholic? Dr. Thomas B. Stevenson, who received degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, explores this question, using various interviews to thoroughly analyze the many dimensions of being gay and Catholic while providing a powerful and convincing criticism of Church teaching on homosexuality. This thoughtful, surprisingly reverent book is the answer for those gay readers who long for a religious connection, as well as for Catholic readers and those in pastoral positions who want and need to hear the stories of gay people firsthand. Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men tells one storythe story of what it is like to be gay and Catholicthrough the various stories of over thirty gay Catholic men. Each chapter is arranged thematically, beginning with experiences of being homosexual and Catholic during childhood and youth. Subsequent chapters delve into the ways these men each finally accepted themselves and integrated their sexuality, related to others who did or did not understand, dealt with homosexual promiscuity, found intimate relationships, became a part of a community, and ultimately came to terms with the Catholic Church and their faith. Throughout, these 'witnesses' explain how their faith in God guides them through the various experiences and issues they face. The positive aspects of Catholic Christianity are respectfully explored at the same time as the present Church teaching on homosexuality is challenged. Sons of the Church uses interviews to explore: Catholics coming to terms with their homosexuality the experiences of young men recognizing their sexuality suffering and oppression by society and the Church acceptance of self integration of goodness and lovability of homosexuality moral issues of promiscuity among gay men gay relationships and the Catholic dimensions of commitment criticisms of gay culture the Catholic Church teachings on homosexuality the answer to the question, How can you be gay and Catholic? Sons of the Church: The Witnessing of Gay Catholic Men is enlightening reading essential for educators, students, counselors, priests, nuns, psychologists, and theologians. Catholic people, gay people, and every educated reader will find that the interviews and ideas here stimulate thought and create a greater understanding of the issue of homosexuality and faith.

Examine how a community of support in Nineteenth-Century Paris became a blueprint for modern sexual identity! A unique social history, Pederasts and Others: Urban Culture and Sexual Identity in Nineteenth-Century Paris is a valuable addition to the growing field of gay and lesbian studies. The book examines the interaction between the city's male homosexual subculture and Parisian authority figures who attempted to maintain political and social order during the early years of the French Third Republic by using laws against public indecency and sexual assault to treat same-sex sexuality as a crime. Faced with a constant cycle of surveillance, harassment, and arrest, the city's gay men survived the hostile urban environment by forming a community of support that had a widespread and lasting influence on the development of modern sexual identities. Pederasts and Others: Urban Culture and Sexual Identity in Nineteenth-Century Paris is based on a statistical analysis of more than 800 working-class and middle-class men who were arrested or investigated by Parisian police between 1873 and 1879. Their stories, presented through long and short case studies, represent nearly 2,000 names recorded by police in Pederasts and Others, a ledger detailing the arrests of male homosexuals for public offenses against decency and other minor offenses. (The term pederast identified those suspected of same-sex sexual activity, not the modern definition that indicates homosexual relations with a minor.) The ledger entries reveal specific habits, attitudes, values, and characteristics about these men that set them apartthe same traits that identified them as part of a community based on their behavior and relationships. Pederasts and Others: Urban Culture and Sexual Identity in Nineteenth-Century Paris examines: the forces of authority the laws regarding same-sex sexual behavior the role of the police the role of the magistrates the role of the doctors the common characteristics of the city's male homosexual subculture the sexual behaviors of the Paris underground the geography of the subculture and takes an expanded look at three case studies: A Decadent Aristocrat and A Delinquent Boy Pederasts, Prostitutes, and Pickpockets Love and Death in Gay Paris Pederasts and Others: Urban Culture and Sexual Identity in Nineteenth-Century Paris also includes tables, appendices, and maps linked to statistical data. The book is an essential resource for historians, sociologists, sexologists, criminologists, and other scholars working in the fields of gay and lesbian studies, urban studies, social and cultural history, and French history.

Queer survivors piece together the clues to discover their own lives Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving goes beyond the recovery narrative to create a new queer literature of investigation, exploration, and transformation. Twenty-six stories illuminate the reality of growing up in fear, struggling to rebuild lives damaged by sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse. The book explores how abuse turns queer survivors-male, female, and transgendered-into healers, heartbreakers, and homicidal maniacs, presenting brilliant stories that sear and soar. Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving addresses all forms of abuse head-on, representing a cross-section of queer survivors in terms of race, class, ethnicity, education, origin, sexuality, and gender. Contributors use their own life experiences to create a book that takes back control from well-meaning "outsiders," as they recount the daily struggle to overcome the damage done to their minds, bodies, and spirits in a world that denies their gender, sexual, and social identities. From the editor: "Dangerous Families consists entirely of writing by survivors of childhood abuse. That's right-no therapists analyzing our plight, no talk-show hosts exploiting us-just survivors, exploring our complicated, frightening, and fulfilling lives. These stories dispense with the usual technique of carefully massaging the reader's fragile worldview before plunging this unsuspecting innocent into a world of horror. They go right to the horror, the beauty, and the joy, often throwing the reader off-guard, revealing layers of meaning before the reader can step back." Dangerous Families: Queer Writing on Surviving is an anthology of 26 true stories of growing up queer in families that magnify the horrors of the outside world instead of offering protection. The book is an essential read for therapists, caseworkers, cultural studies specialists, and anyone struggling to survive childhood

"Read the words they risked everything for!"
This landmark volume collects more than a hundred years of the most important public rhetoric on gay and lesbian subjects. In the days when homosexuality was mentioned only in whispers, a few brave souls stood up to speak for the rights of sexual minorities. In Speaking for Our Lives: Historic Speeches and Rhetoric for Gay and Lesbian Rights (1892-2000), their stirring words have finally been gathered together, along with the political manifestoes, broadsheets, and performance pieces of the gay and lesbian liberation movement.
Speaking for Our Lives comprises speeches and manifestoes prompted by events ranging from demonstrations to funerals. Scholars and researchers will appreciate the brief commentary introducing each piece, which discusses the author, the occasion, and the political and social contexts in which it first appeared.
You'll find the words of a broad variety of individuals and groups, including: the Victorian humanist and crusader Robert Ingersoll key groups such as the Mattachine Society, Homosexual Law Reform Society, Gay Activists Alliance, and International Gay Association activists and educators Robin Morgan, Joseph Bean, and Dr. Franklin Kameny, artists and journalists of the movement, such as John Eric Larsen, Joan Nestle, Barbara Grier, and Jim Kepner elected officials, including Bella Abzug, Ed Koch, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Gerry Studds, Tammy Baldwin, and Bill Clinton Many of these documents have long been out of print. Speaking for Our Lives makes these noteworthy texts readily available to the broader public they deserve. This book preserves an essential part of twentieth-century history.

Examine how community organizing can help eliminate sexual oppression! This book presents insights from activists working in dramatically diverse cultures toward a common goalthe eradication of sexual oppression. Contributors share their experiences in organizing for sexual emancipation in many parts of the world, documenting progress in transforming oppressive sexual attitudes, policies, and practices, while acknowledging the long road to sexual democracy that remains to be traveled. Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism: The World Through Rainbow-Colored Glasses highlights the importance of building alliances with social service providers and community organizers, of physical space as an element of identity-building, of understanding the tension between members of sexual minority communities and their other communities of belonging, and the transformation of individual efforts into movements necessary to affect long-term social change. Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism presents chapters that focus on community organizing against homophobia and heterosexism, bringing to light the history and contemporary face of resistance in global contexts. The book highlights practical actions to liberate sexual and gender expressions, including: the challenge of organizing within a Two-Spirit (LGBT people of Aboriginal descent) community in Montreal the organization of Tongzhi (LGBT and their supporters) rights in Hong Kong the work of Yoesuf, a Muslim association that works on battling homophobia and xenophobia in communities in the Netherlands the foundation of GALF, a Peruvian feminist group dedicated to organizing against lesbophobia and heterosexism the development of GALZ, the gay liberation movement in Zimbabwe Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism: The World Through Rainbow-Colored Glasses is an essential resource for social service professionals, community activists, and anyone else working to eliminate sexual oppression in all forms.

Examine how community organizing can help eliminate sexual oppression! This book presents insights from activists working in dramatically diverse cultures toward a common goalthe eradication of sexual oppression. Contributors share their experiences in organizing for sexual emancipation in many parts of the world, documenting progress in transforming oppressive sexual attitudes, policies, and practices, while acknowledging the long road to sexual democracy that remains to be traveled. Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism: The World Through Rainbow-Colored Glasses highlights the importance of building alliances with social service providers and community organizers, of physical space as an element of identity-building, of understanding the tension between members of sexual minority communities and their other communities of belonging, and the transformation of individual efforts into movements necessary to affect long-term social change. Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism presents chapters that focus on community organizing against homophobia and heterosexism, bringing to light the history and contemporary face of resistance in global contexts. The book highlights practical actions to liberate sexual and gender expressions, including: the challenge of organizing within a Two-Spirit (LGBT people of Aboriginal descent) community in Montreal the organization of Tongzhi (LGBT and their supporters) rights in Hong Kong the work of Yoesuf, a Muslim association that works on battling homophobia and xenophobia in communities in the Netherlands the foundation of GALF, a Peruvian feminist group dedicated to organizing against lesbophobia and heterosexism the development of GALZ, the gay liberation movement in Zimbabwe Community Organizing Against Homophobia and Heterosexism: The World Through Rainbow-Colored Glasses is an essential resource for social service professionals, community activists, and anyone else working to eliminate sexual oppression in all forms.

Sociological Analysis of Aging: The Gay Male Perspective is an exploratory study of the life changes homosexual and bisexual men experience as they age. This unique book presents in-depth, qualitative interviews with gay men, aged 55 and older, focusing on their physical, mental, and social needs. More than one hundred men offer first-hand perceptions on the unique problems they face with regards to employment/retirement, housing, health and well-being, and relationships, and how they function within (or without) a social support system. Sociological Analysis of Aging fills in the gaps in the existing social science literature on homosexuals and aging, updating findings that were inconclusive when first published and/or based on case studies or limited samples. While standard books on aging typically deal with the impact of life events such as child rearing, the empty nest syndrome, and grandparenting, Sociological Analysis of Aging deals with the unique realities that gay men face in addition to the universal concerns of the elderly: affordable health care, affordable housing, and adequate coverage for medication costs. The study examines what can be done to assist successful aging for sexual minorities, particularly in the areas of social policy, service delivery, and public tolerance. Sociological Analysis of Aging focuses on specific research questions: Do aging gay men consider themselves to be physically healthy? Do aging gay men suffer from depression? Do aging gay men have access to social support networks? What are the housing needs of the aging gay communitypresent and future? How involved are aging gay men with family, friends, church, and community? In addition, the men interviewed were asked what, if anything, was left on a to-do list; what the best and worst aspects of aging are; and what, if anything, they would change about the course their lives had taken. Their answers make Sociological Analysis of Aging: The Gay Male Perspective an essential resource for therapists, counselors, and social workers, and for academics working in sociology, psychology, gerontology, and gay studies.

Explore the impact of AIDS on the gay bathhouse culture Public health policy on bathhouses has been limited and poorly documented. This bookthe first to be published on this timely and important topicwill help you become knowledgeable about gay bathhouses. Unlike most other places where men have sex in public, gay bathhouses are subject to government-imposed health regulations. Gay Bathhouses and Public Health Policy examines the bathhouse environment and how it differs from other public sex environments. It describes public policies that have been implemented, discussing policies for HIV prevention, testing, and intervention; issues related to civil liberties; and the legal aspects of these policies. This essential book also includes a fascinating chapter about other types of sex businessesbookstores, theaters, and sex clubsand how public policy affected them in the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Helpful tables and figures make the information in this well referenced book easy to access and understand. From the editors: From a public health perspective, the baths first came to attention as a result of an exponential increase in sexually transmitted infections among men in the 1970s. The spread of these infections among gay men stimulated the public health community to seek ways to combat them. Although there appears to have been some mention of closing bathhouses as an approach, the predominant message was to educate, test, and treat. Of course, AIDS was a different matter in a different time. By early 1984, the once rare call for closure had gained a powerful voice as well as support in powerful gay circles. The tension between the baths and public heath that resulted from the closure debates continues to exist in some cities, but there are also a number of examples of health professionals from local health departments and academic institutions who have established good relationships with owners and managers of bathhouses. Today, 40 of bathhouses in the United States offer HIV testing, which typically requires collaboration either with the local health department or with community-based organizations that run outreach HIV-testing programs. Gay Bathhouses and Public Health Policy will inform you about: the unique relationship between bathhouse patrons and the environment within which they engage in sexual activities the history of gay bathhouses in the United States, including their transformation from Turkish baths, Russian baths, public baths, health resorts, and spas into gay institutions the San Francisco bathhouse battles of 1984 and their impact on civil liberties, AIDS awareness, and health policy the legal aspects of regulating bathhouseshighlighting cases from 1984 to 1995 where the government sought to close a sex-facilitating business or where such a business sought to invalidate laws and ordinances banning sexual activity an uncensored 1984 report from Coming Up! magazine on sexual activity at bathhouses how the city of Seattle designed and implemented an HIV-counseling and testing program for bathhouses and more!

This book presents an integrated approach toward changing attitudes about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) students, faculty, and staff on contemporary college campuses. From Addressing Homophobia and Heterosexism on College Campuses you can learn specific classroom techniques for handling homophobia and heterosexism in the classroom. This book tackles a wide variety of subjects including academic freedom, diversity training, nontraditional families, and religion, each of which plays an integral part in the sense of community found on any college campus. Addressing Homophobia and Heterosexism on College Campuses provides you with the basic tools to set up sensible programs that have worked for others in the past and can work for you in the future In Addressing Homophobia and Heterosexism on College Campuses you'll also find: a list of helpful feature films and documentaries case studies from the US, Canada, and Australia methods to combat homophobia and heterosexism among social work students practical ways to set up Safe Zone or Allies programs techniques for reducing "trans-anxieties" lectures and role-playing games geared toward changing thoughts and live

Searching for an introduction to the shadowy, intriguing world of early 20th century gay-themed fiction? In Lost Gay Novels, respected pop culture historian Anthony Slide resurrects fifty early 20th century American novels with gay themes or characters and discusses them in carefully researched, engaging prose. Each entry offers you a detailed discussion of plot and characters, a summary of contemporary critical reception, and biographical information on the often-obscure writer. In Lost Gay Novels, another aspect of gay life and society is, in the words the author, uncloseted, providing you with an absorbing glimpse into the world of these nearly forgotten books. Lost Gay Novels gives you an introduction to: authors who aren't usually associated with homosexuality, including John Buchan, James M. Cain, and Rex Stout the history of gay publishing in the US and abroad gay themes in novels published between 1917 and 1950with entries from nearly every year! the ways in which the popular culture of the time shaped the authors' attitudes toward homosexuality the difficulty of finding detailed biographical information on little-known authors If you're interested in gay studies or history, or even if you're just looking for a comprehensive guide to titles you've probably never heard of before, Lost Gay Novels will be a welcome addition to your collection. The introduction from author Slidecalled by the Los Angeles Times a one-man publishing phenomenonprovides you with an overview to the basics of this landmark collection. Themes found in many of the titles include death, secrecy, and living a double life, and in reading the entries you will discover just why these themes are so common. As Slide says in his introduction: The approach of the novelist toward homosexuality may not always be a positive one but the works are important to an understanding of contemporary attitudes toward gay men and gay society. Lost Gay Novels will help you further your own understanding of the dynamic relationship between literature and culture, and you will finish the book with a greater appreciation of modern American gay fiction.

Examine the cornerstone incidents of modern gay political history Scandal: Infamous Gay Controversies of the Twentieth Century is a compelling and thorough examination of same-sex controversies that range from accusations of obscenity and libel to espionage, treason, murder, and political dissent, with penalties that included censorship, imprisonment, deportation, and death. In each case, scandal brought the subject of homosexuality into public view in an explosive, sensational manner, stalling (and sometimes reversing) any progress made by the gay and lesbian community in mainstream society. Author Marc E. Vargo details the dignity, courage, and wisdom displayed by the gay men and women under attack in the face of public judgment.A unique blend of biography and gay political history, Scandal: Infamous Gay Controversies of the Twentieth Century recounts seven international incidents that tally the cost of being homosexual in a heterosexual society. In each episode, gay men or lesbians are targeted for legal persecution, subjected to sensationalized media coverage, and publicly condemned. The book examines the short- and long-term consequences of each controversy for those involved and the impact each scandal had on gay and mainstream society.Scandal: Infamous Gay Controversies of the Twentieth Century documents the stories of: Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini--his 1975 murder and its subsequent cover-up British diplomats Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean--their defection to Russia at the height of the Cold War Cuban political dissident Reinaldo Arenas--his imprisonment in the 1960s that led to the exposure of the violent homophobia of the Castro regime Irish consul Roger Casement--his execution on treason charges and the later accusation that crucial evidence had been forged South African human rights activist Simon Nkoli--his persecution by his country's all-white, pro-apartheid government British writer Radclyffe Hall--the obscenity trial in the 1920s surrounding her novel, The Well of Loneliness German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II--the expose of his relationship with Prince Eulenburg A scholarly work of historical significance, Scandal: Infamous Gay Controversies of the Twentieth Century is written in a straightforward tone that appeals to academics, students, and interested readers, gay or straight. The book stands alone as a record of the role played by public opinion in modern gay history.

Deconstruct changing representations of homosexuality with this important new work of cultural criticism Homosexuality in French History and Culture explores episodes, patterns, and images of same-sex attraction in France from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, from the essays of Michel de Montaigne to pride parades in contemporary Paris. This groundbreaking book documents the ways homosexuality has been named, experienced, regulated, understood, and imagined. During these centuries, homosexuality has been stigmatized as a sin, crime, or disease, and denounced as a threat to social order and national identity. Yet the rhetoric of condemnation has always co-existed with the reality of toleration. This groundbreaking collection analyzes the ways in which persecutions, as well as differences within minority sexual subcultures, have highlighted stereotypes and anxieties about class and age differences, gendered roles, and separatism. Homosexuality in French History and Culture offers historical and literary studies based on a wide variety of sources, including: novels, plays, and poetry gossip and satires police reports medical texts travel literature newspapers and periodicals memoirsHomosexuality in French History and Culture combines fresh, creative re-interpretation of familiar texts with exciting new explorations of neglected historical episodes and cultures. It is a landmark of meticulous scholarship and rigorous theoretical analysis, and a vital resource for scholars of queer theory, French history and culture, and literary criticism.

"A pleasure...a really sensitive, lucid account of his personal liberation...a penetrating analysis of the political premises and goals and philosophical background of the movement."
--"The New York Times"

"The one to read...may very well be the most intelligible and best written books on the subject."
--"The Minneapolis Tribune"

"When Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation" was first published in 1971, The New York Review of Books, hailed it as the only work that bears comparison...with the best to appear from Women's Liberation. Time wrote that, among the whole tumble of homosexuals who have come out of the closet', perhaps best among these accounts is a book by Dennis Altman.

Long out of print, "Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation" remains a seminal work in the gay liberation movement. Altman examines the different positions promoting gay liberation, and recognizes the healthy diversity in these divisions. Elaborating on the writers of the emergent movement--James Baldwin, Allen Ginsberg, Christopher Isherwood, Herbert Marcuse, Kate Millett, and others--Homosexual suggests that we can nurture a common, progressive movement out of our shared sexuality and experience of a heterosexist society. Today, in the age of AIDS, ACT UP, and Queer Nation, the possibility of such commonality is of critical importance.

Jeffrey Weeks's new introduction places Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation in its historical context, while the author's new afterword examines its significance in light of today's lesbian and gay movement.

Sex, Soldiers and the South Pacific, 1939-45 explores the queer dynamics of war across Australia and forward bases in the south seas. It examines relationships involving Allied servicemen, civilians and between the legal and medical fraternities that sought to regulate and contain expressions of homosex in and out of the forces.

Is the closet just a metaphor? Closet Space, provides a highly original account of the spatial metaphor of "the closet", and is the first geography text to focus on this important issue. Using a variety of research techniques and materials, the book explores the closet through texts including:
* the oral histories of gay men in the UK and US
* the sexualised landscape of a New Zealand city
* the national census of Britain and the US
* international travel guides and travelogues
and refers to the work of Butler, Lefebure and Foucault.

Explore the risks and rewards of seeking and having sex in public places Public Sex in a Latin Society is one of the first books to explore the lives of people who look for sex in public places and the dangers involved--from murder to HIV infection. The book examines why many gay men have been murdered by sex workers who frequent public sex places, such as the parks, bathhouses, or saunas, and suggests some basic safety rules. Containing interviews with police officials, murderers, and sex workers, Public Sex in a Latin Society explores the motivations for seeking public sex, why gay men who have sex in public are sometimes murdered, and how these killings could be prevented. This eye-opening book contains studies that examine mechanisms for assault and crime and examines data on the roles that sexual and physical abuse play in sex workers and their clients. Public Sex in a Latin Society explores Latin society's Catholic church-influenced negative view of homosexuality, explaining why gay men are seen as the equivalent of murderers and thieves, why the topic is censored in the media, and why client murders are rarely investigated.Public Sex in a Latin Society discusses the dangers facing public sex seekers and suggests guidelines, such as: refrain from flaunting wealth or wearing fine jewelry or clothes when looking for public sex to decrease the chances of getting mugged or physically assaulted never try to negotiate changes to the agreement or method of payment after sex--this can bring on physical harm or even death do not make advances or ask for sexual acts that were not agreed upon and be especially careful about everything relating to anal sex never take drugs or drink alcohol while seeking sex in order to be alert if you are attackedPublic Sex in a Latin Society provides you with a shocking analysis of how public sex in Latin America has become part of the Latin economy without advancing sexual liberation or social equality. This provocative and intelligent book will give you a better understanding of Latin American sexual culture.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203801407

Homosexual Rites of Passage: A Road to Visibility and Validation will help you, as a gay or lesbian individual, work through identity issues, come out, and become visible in a healthy and safe manner. You will find this unique book to be an excellent resource for validation and support during your courageous acts of personal growth. Furthermore, you will discover a positive affirmation of homosexual identities as well as issues that impede or prevent your positive homosexual identity formation. Homosexual Rites of Passage facilitates your journey toward visibility and personal validation by naming fear and shame as obstacles of your growth and describing affirming homosexual rites of passage so that you will not feel alone in your journey through life. Throughout Homosexual Rites of Passage, you will explore the essential relationship between homosexual identity development and rites of passage, or life experiences or events that mark emotional, familial, and growth transitions in your life and that they are different for homosexuals than for heterosexuals. Compelling and informative, this important book discusses how homophobia and homosexuals'internalized shame often cause these rites of passage to be ignored or not considered valid rituals for gay men and lesbians. You will find helpful and insightful ideas in this informative book to help you affirm your homosexual identity, such as: discovering the definitions of the stages of homosexual identity formation and their significance in defining your view of self and others examining outlines and descriptions of obstacles that prevent positive homosexual identity development, such as fear, shame, and guilt learning to address the role and significance of rites of passage in creating personal identity and space analyzing the description of rites of passage that is specific to the homosexual community and that covers developmental milestones from birth to death, such as coming out or choosing a life partnerHomosexual Rites of Passage will assist your homosexual identity development through the celebration of homosexual rituals and rites of passage in a positive effective way. This valuable book addresses the issues that may impede your positive homosexual identity development and provides you with strategies to heal wounded and shamed identities, as well as providing you with a thorough description of homosexual rites of passage to help you understand and validate your homosexual identity.

When It's Time to Leave Your Lover: A Guide for Gay Men is for people who need help ending a gay male relationship that is no longer viable or for friends and family who want to support a gay man experiencing a breakup. This book provides tips on how to successfully cope with the post-breakup period and how to grow emotionally from the experience. You will discover how to tell a lover good-bye while learning about the psychological and social changes to be anticipated in this situation. When It's Time to Leave Your Lover gives you helpful, practical advice on how to cope with ending a relationship in a positive and constructive manner. This unique book contains actual interviews with gay men and vignettes that clearly illustrate the topics. They provide you with a deeper understanding of all aspects of the break-up period. When It's Time to Leave Your Lover is a unique how-to book that gives you helpful and practical advice on such important issues as: making an assessment of your relationship to determine if it is no longer viable constructively leaving your partner and making it a positive experience coping with the uncoupling experience by using specific techniques to avoid common mistakes such as the rebound relationship growing from your uncoupling experience so you can enjoy more fulfilling relationships in the future managing the social and psychological effects of a breakup through use of your support system of family and friends seeking support through specific organizations available in several different cities that help gay men deal with breakups Sincere and full of knowledgeable advice, When It's Time to Leave Your Lover offers proven suggestions that will help you revisit the mistakes you made during your relationship, preparing you for more satisfying relationships in the future that are based on compatibility, respect, and trust. A valuable and reader-friendly book, When It's Time to Leave Your Lover will enhance your understanding of the break-up experience and will help you understand, learn from, and get past the heartache of ending a relationship.

When It's Time to Leave Your Lover: A Guide for Gay Men is for people who need help ending a gay male relationship that is no longer viable or for friends and family who want to support a gay man experiencing a breakup. This book provides tips on how to successfully cope with the post-breakup period and how to grow emotionally from the experience. You will discover how to tell a lover good-bye while learning about the psychological and social changes to be anticipated in this situation. When It's Time to Leave Your Lover gives you helpful, practical advice on how to cope with ending a relationship in a positive and constructive manner. This unique book contains actual interviews with gay men and vignettes that clearly illustrate the topics. They provide you with a deeper understanding of all aspects of the break-up period. When It's Time to Leave Your Lover is a unique how-to book that gives you helpful and practical advice on such important issues as: making an assessment of your relationship to determine if it is no longer viable constructively leaving your partner and making it a positive experience coping with the uncoupling experience by using specific techniques to avoid common mistakes such as the rebound relationship growing from your uncoupling experience so you can enjoy more fulfilling relationships in the future managing the social and psychological effects of a breakup through use of your support system of family and friends seeking support through specific organizations available in several different cities that help gay men deal with breakups Sincere and full of knowledgeable advice, When It's Time to Leave Your Lover offers proven suggestions that will help you revisit the mistakes you made during your relationship, preparing you for more satisfying relationships in the future that are based on compatibility, respect, and trust. A valuable and reader-friendly book, When It's Time to Leave Your Lover will enhance your understanding of the break-up experience and will help you understand, learn from, and get past the heartache of ending a relationship.

Discover how gay men 's health care can be improved Smearing the Queer: Medical Bias in the Health Care of Gay Men explores how social prejudices embedded in scientific research and practice often act as a detriment to gay men 's health. This book provides an agenda for addressing heterosexism in the health sciences and in medical care while broadening approaches to gay male wellness beyond the limited scope of HIV infection. This groundbreaking book explore a number of neglected concerns affecting the sexual health of gay men, calling for the recognition of their scientific, political, and cultural significance. In Smearing the Queer, gay men, HIV prevention workers, health care providers, mental health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and instructors in related fields will appreciate the in-depth examination of such issues as: research and development on rectal microbicides why many gay men should be receiving periodic anal Pap smears to screen for anorectal cancer an in-depth critique of the problematic diagnosis of "Gay Bowel Syndrome" gay men 's use of the Reality Female Condom for anal sex Viagara 's impact on gay men 's sexual cultures, erectile dysfunction, and recreational drug use a broad-based advocacy agenda for improving relations between gay men and the health sciences the politics surrounding gay men 's restricted access to new and prospective safer sex technologies Smearing the Queer challenges heterosexist bias within the health care delivery and health sciences research and calls for the development of public policy initiatives that address gay men 's wellness in more sophisticated and complex ways. This is the only publication that provides in-depth social, cultural, and political analysis of the topics of Gay Bowel Syndrome, gay men 's use of the female condom, rectal microbicides, and anal Pap smears while examining the social forces that direct scientific research under the guise of objectivity.