On Being Gay: Thoughts on Family, Faith, and Love (Stonewall Inn Editions) [Paperback]

Brian McNaught (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stonewall Inn Editions | Publication Date: April 15, 1989

Brian McNaught has a special knack for enabling people to understand what it means to be gay. He has done so as a writer and lecturer since 1974, explaining, encouraging, and often healing his audiences. McNaught provides a look-- sometimes humorous, always insightful-- at such concerns as whether or not to "come out," maintaining ties with one's family, building love relationships that last, developing an honest relationship with God, dealing with AIDS, and accepting oneself as decent and worthy of respect.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McNaught maintains that much of homosexual culture is oppressive, little more than a defensive reaction to heterosexual prejudice. This collection of articles (half of which are reprinted from his 1981 book A Disturbed Peace) is designed to help gay men and lesbians accept themselves. His open letter to anti-gay crusader Anita Bryant sets the tone. One essay, "I Like It," is a declaration of gay pride. "Sick of Hearing About AIDS" combines safe-sex guidelines and moral support. McNaught, who has served as liaison in Boston between the mayor and the city's gay community, offers practical advice on meeting other gays, finding a lover, forging lasting relationships and dealing with one's family. He also discusses coming out, growing up gay and coping with rituals like proms. The individual articles cohere into a warm, supportive self-help manual.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this collection of essays Holleran, author of gay-themed novels Dancer from the Dance ( LJ 8/78) and Nights in Aruba ( LJ 7/83), explores the effects of the AIDS epidemic. Mourning a vanishing world of romance and erotic frenzy, he eloquently remembers dead friends and past pleasures. His pieces, whether original or excerpted from Christopher Street and other publications, range from angry diatribes to poignant reminiscences, powerfully depicting the personal devastation of the plague. On Being Gay , a significantly revised and updated edition of A Disturbed Peace : Selected Writings of an Irish Catholic Homosexual (Dignity, 1981), is a collection of McNaught's columns syndicated in the gay press. Sharing his own personal experiences, McNaught deals warmly and succinctly with important issues confronting lesbians and gay men, often focusing on the need to come to terms with oneself in an oppressive society. McNaught's aim in his fresh and effective essays is to help people be less judgmental and to realize their own potential. He deals with AIDS, but for him it is not the overriding theme that it is for Holleran. Together the two authors provide a sensitive, thought-provoking perspective on the gay experience. James E. Van Buskirk, Acad. of Art Coll. Lib., San Francisco
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312029594
• ISBN-13: 978-0312029593
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.