City of Friends offers a practical, intelligent,
and well-informed overview of what it means to be gay or
lesbian. The authors seek to help gay men and women, as
well as their families and friends, to better understand
the institutions and communities that make up the most
culturally and ethnically diverse minority in America
today.Beginning with basic concepts, LeVay and Nonas
define the words "homosexual," "gay," "lesbian," and
"bisexual" and discuss the various patterns of
homosexuality in different cultures around the world.
They relate the history of the gay and lesbian community
in the United States, and its struggle for equal rights
and social acceptance, before tackling the question --
still highly controversial -- of what determines an
individual's sexual orientation.City of Friends
describes the great diversity within the gay and lesbian
community: Life in the "gay ghetto." Old lesbians in
rural hideaways. Gay resorts. A "town without men." Gay
and lesbian Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans,
and Native Americans -- what it means to be a minority
within a minority. Lesbian and gay youth, the elderly,
the deaf. Bisexuals and transsexuals. Academics, drag
queens, technoqueers, publishers, softball players --
all make their appearance in these pages.LeVay and Nonas
continue with a discussion of health issues (especially
of the AIDS epidemic and the community's response to
it), the law, and gay and lesbian politics. They
describe the cultural achievements of lesbians and gay
men -- their art, literature, theater, music, and dance.
Finally they take a look at the spiritual life of gays
and lesbians, both within and outside of organized
religion.
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