Dennis Milam Bensie is One Gay American. Born in the 1960s and raised with traditional values in Robinson, Illinois, Bensie desperately wanted romance, a beautiful wedding, and a baby to carry on the family name. He denied his sexuality and married a woman at nineteen years old, but fantasized of weddings where he could be the bride. The newlyweds "adopted" a Cabbage Patch Doll and ironically witnessed a Cabbage Patch Doll wedding (a successful fundraiser staged by a local women's club) where the dolls were granted the type of grand ceremony off-limits to gay couples. In search of his identity as a gay man, Bensie divorced his wife and stumbled through missteps and lessons that still sting his generation: defending against bullies, "disappointing" his parents, and looking for love in gay bars, bath houses and restrooms. He helped his straight friends plan their dream weddings and mourned his gay friends dying of AIDS. Although true love has not yet come his way, Bensie has learned to love himself. Bensie is the author of the much-lauded memoir, Shorn: Toys to Men, which recounts his battle with paraphilia. One Gay American tells the rest of his story and draws parallels to gay history, decade by decade, with newspaper headlines and quotations. Bensie is the gay neighbor that you either love or hate. Either way, he's got a lot to say and says it with no apologies.

With "the bracingly rational passion of a writer who can think and feel at the same time" (The Wall Street Journal), Bruce Bawer exposes the heated controversy over gay rights and presents a passionate plea for the recognition of common values, "a place at the table" for everyone.

In his memoir All-American Boy, Scott Peck poignantly relives the pain and isolation of growing up gay in a Christian Southern community. In this touching memoir, Peck finds a way through the pain from his childhood, growing up gay without acceptance in the Christian South, and through this emotional journey he learns to heal from those wounds. He doesn't hold back while reliving the time when his father, Marine Col. Fred Peck, testified before Congress that there was no place for his gay son in the military. This is merely one of the many big moments shaping the book and the author's life, on top of the religious influences that surrounded him since he was born. This is a "survivor's tale that in its universal appeal brings to mind the most compelling aspects of Gal and Shot in the Heart. Through the course of these scathing, inspiring, instructive pages, Scott Peck, writer and human being, grows into one hell of a terrific man" (Michael Dorris).

Heartlands records Rist's unique journey of exploration, a quest for the real gay America beyond the stereotypes of the popular media.

A mental health crisis faces American teens right now -- and it is one we can solve. Hundreds of thousands of gay teens face traumatic depression, fear, rejection, persecution, and isolation -- usually alone. Studies show they are, 190 percent more likely to use drugs or alcohol and four times more likely to attempt suicide. Homophobia and discrimination are at the heart of their pain. Love, support, and acceptance -- all within our power to give -- can save them. This book is for: clergy, parents, educators, and politicians who cause harm with their words and actions; parents of gay teens; teens navigating this difficult time; and fair-minded people who want to help to end the harm. Here are revealing stories by forty diverse Americans, some well-known and some not, plus insights from straight clergy and parents explaining their support of gay people as whole human beings guaranteed equal rights by our Constitution.

American Homo offers a sweeping interpretation of the political, cultural and economic struggles of lesbian, gay and bisexual people to reveal how sexual minorities have challenged and changed American society. These provocative essays by long-time activist, writer, and theorist Jeffrey Escoffier tracks the lesbian and gay movements across the contested terrain of American political life. Starting from an urban subculture created by stigmatized and invisible men and women, LGBT movements have had to negotiate the historical tension between the homoeroticism that courses through American culture and virulent outbreaks of homophobic populism. Escoffier explores how every new success-whether it's civil rights, marriage, or cultural recognition-also enables new disciplinary and normalizing forms of domination, and why only the active exercise of democratic rights and participation in radical coalitions allows LGBT people to sustain both the benefits of community and the freedom of sexual perversity.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has picked up speed among millennials in the U.S. This is one gay American's true story of being one of the first men in the U.S. Army to go on PrEP for the prevention of HIV. From his trials and tribulations in the military under the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy effectively banning out and proud service members, to his hot-- and often comedic-- sexual experiments in the U.S. and Europe, Joey Wagner takes us on a wild ride in this, his personal memoir of self-reflection, breaking bad, and learning how to not take things too seriously in the post-PrEP world.About the Author.Joey is a new, break-out gay model who has shot scenes with Synmen Media and Treasure Island Media. He grew up in the Midwest, where he earned a bachelors, masters, and law degree. He served honorably in the U.S. Army from 2011 to 2015. His military experience was heavily influenced by Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which was repealed while Joey was in the Army. He resides in New York, New York.

Charles St. Anthony dreamed of living in San Francisco his whole life, and after a sudden return to the USA from Japan, he makes his way to the Bay. In this novella-sized mini-memoir, Charles finds the humor in every situation—whether it be a series of dating fiascoes in the Castro or beating a path down to Silicon Valley. He takes you on a tour of the New Age Babylon by the Bay, and Charles describes his notable adventures in political canvassing, polyamory, getting fired from a Jamba Juice knock-off and driving a sketchy San Francisco taxi cab (in the age of Uber). So what are you waiting for? Grab your Ruby Red Slippers and fly on down to the Golden Gate, because San Francisco Daddy is ready to take you on a fantastic voyage to the land of Sexual Disorientation.

The Homosexual in America: A Subjective Approach, published in 1951, is considered one of the most influential works in the history of the gay rights movement and inspired compassion in others by highlighting the difficulties faced by homosexuals. The book is considered "one of the most influential works in the history of the gay rights movement" Donald Webster Cory was the pseudonym for Edward Sagarin, an American professor of sociology and criminology at the City University of New York, and a writer. Sagarin is often titled the "father of the homophile movement" for asserting that gay men and lesbians deserved civil rights as members of a large, unrecognised minority. In an era when discussing homosexuality openly was often taboo, Cory fearlessly bridges the gap between scholarship and personal insight. Drawing from his own encounters, interviews, and extensive research, he paints an intimate portrait of the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, chronicling their struggles, triumphs, and the evolving societal attitudes that shape their existence. The publication of the book was considered a "radical step", as it was the first publication in the United States that discussed homosexual politics and sympathetically presented the plight of homosexuals. In the book Sagarin described how homosexuals were discriminated against in almost all aspects of their lives and called for a repeal of anti-homosexuality laws, as well as displacing many of the myths and stereotypes that existed at that time around homosexuality. Through thought-provoking anecdotes, poignant stories, and candid reflections, the book navigates the intricacies of coming out, relationships, discrimination, and the pursuit of self-discovery.