"Coming out" is a central event of every gay man's life. This collection of true stories recounts individual entries into the gay community. There are stories of romance and heartache, as well as histories of repression, liberation, rape and first love. Arranged chronologically from Manhattan in the late 1940s to San Francisco in the early 1990s, the pieces form a documentary of changing social and sexual mores during the last half-century. Written specifically for this collection, the 28 personal essays include works by gay writers such as Edmund White, Samuel Delany, Alan Gurganus and Andrew Holleran.