Product Description

"...And Then I Became Gay is about the lives of young men who express the complications, adversities, and satisfactions of being a sexual outsider in North America during the 1980s and 1990s. Consisting of narratives which chronicle developmental progression from first memories of being attracted to other males to a subsequent integration of their sexual identity with a personal identity, this book is also unique in its cross-section of men from different ethnic backgrounds. Although each story in this volume has a personal meaning to the individual youth disclosing it, aspects of these narratives can express a normative experience growing up gay or bisexual during the past two decades. For many of the contributors and readers, these stories may prove to be not only ones of coming out, but coming of age.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1404213 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10-20
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .79 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

From Library Journal
This thoughtful, well-researched study provides a fresh perspective on the formative years of contemporary gay and bisexual males in our society. Savin-Williams (clinical psychology, Cornell Univ.) postulates that although their experiences have some distinct similarities, they are complemented by "differential developmental trajectories." This individuation is illuminated by the "young men's stories," drawn from interviews with 180 men aged 14 to 25 years, which enrich the text. These graphic and poignant reminiscences recount such developmental milestones as awareness and acceptance of a gay or bisexual identity, initial sexual experiences (both homo- and heterosexual), and the coming-out process, as well as delving into issues faced by youths who are both cultural and sexual minorities. Although the book is essentially a scholarly treatise, the sensitive treatment and personal narratives will appeal to well-informed lay readers. Recommended for academic and special collections in gay studies, human sexuality, and psychology and optional for larger public libraries.?Richard Violette, Social Law Lib., Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
It is fascinating to read the personal narratives of gay and bisexual youth in this thoughtful,spirited,stimulating study of their lives and development. -- Richard A. Isay, M.D., author of Being Homosexual and Being Gay
It is through stories, our own and others, that we organize and give meaning to our lives and reveal the richness and diversity of human experience. It is also the best way of breaking through the crust of sexual and gender stereotypes. Professor Savin-Williams has provided the invaluable opportunity for the reader to hear the stories of gay and bisexual youth and, in doing so, he has dispelled popular myths about childhood sexual innocence (as if no experience is better than some) and that pre-adult sex can only be abusive and traumatic. In letting gay youth speak for itself he has opened the way for all youth of all sexual persuasions, to reclaim and give meaning to their own sexuality. -- John P. De Cecco, Center For Research & Education in Sexuality
He demolishes the existing stereotypes of gay male development and replaces these stereotypes with real life stories. -- The Ottawa Citizen
It is fascinating to read the personal narratives of gay and bisexual youth in this thoughtful, spirited, stimulating study of their lives and development. -- Richard A. Isay, M.D., author of Being Homosexual and Being Gay
It is through stories, our own and others, that we organize and give meaning to our lives and reveal the richness and diversity of human experience. It is also the best way of breaking through the crust of sexual and gender stereotypes. Professor Savin-Williams has provided the invaluable opportunity for the reader to hear the stories of gay and bisexual youth and, in doing so, he has dispelled popular myths about childhood sexual 'innocence' (as if no experience is better than some) and that pre-adult sex can only be abusive and traumatic. In letting gay youth speak for itself he has opened the way for all youth of all sexual persuasions, to reclaim and give meaning to their own sexuality. -- John P. De Cecco, Center For Research & Education in Sexuality
Recommended for academic and special collections in gay studies, human sexuality, and psychology. -- Library Journal
This thoughtful, well-researched study provides a fresh perspective on the formative years of contemporary gay and bisexual males in our society. . . . Although the book is essentially a scholarly treatise, the sensitive treatment and personal narratives will appeal to well-informed lay readers. Recommended for academic and special collections in gay studies, human sexuality, and psychology. -- Library Journal

Richard A. Isay, M.D., author of Being Homosexual and Being Gay
"It is fascinating to read the personal narratives of gay and bisexual youth in this thoughtful,spirited,stimulating study of their lives and development."