‘These are our stories. All of us live in them.’ —Anton Enus, SBS News This is the story of a peaceful revolution. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it tells the intimate life stories of thirteen gay and lesbian Australians, ranging in age from twenties to eighties. From the underground beats of 1950s Brisbane and illicit relationships in the armed services, to Grindr, foster parenting and weddings in the twenty-first century, Gay & Lesbian, Then & Now reveals the remarkable social shifts from one generation to the next. Where once gay and lesbian Australians were treated as criminals, sinners or sick, today they are increasingly accepted as equal. The majority of Australians support same-sex marriage. This rapid transformation in attitudes has opened the way for lesbians and gays to ‘become ordinary’ – to experience freedoms that were once barely imaginable. Gay & Lesbian, Then & Now reveals the legacies of homophobia, the personal struggles and triumphs involved in coming out, and the many different ways of being gay or lesbian in Australia – then and now. It is a moving account of a quiet revolution. Robert Reynolds is Associate Professor in the department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University. His previous books include What Happened to Gay Life? and History on the Couch (as co-editor). Shirleene Robinson is Vice Chancellor’s Innovation Fellow in the department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University. Her previous books include Homophobia: An Australian History (as editor).

A chronicle of the modern struggle for gay, lesbian and transgender rights draws on interviews with politicians, military figures, legal activists and members of the LGBT community to document the cause's struggles since the 1950s.

queer [adj]: 1 differing from what is usual or ordinary; odd; singular; strange 2 slightly ill; 3 mentally unbalanced 4 counterfeit; not genuine 5 homosexual: in general usage, still chiefly a slang term of contempt or derision, but lately used by some as a descriptive term without negative connotations --Webster's Dictionary queer [adj]: used to describe a 1 body of theory 2 field of critical inquiry 3 way of proudly identifying a group of people 4 way of seeing the world 5 sense of difference from the norm -- David Shneer and Caryn Aviv, Queer in America, Now and Then Contrasting queer life today and in years past, this landmark book brings together autobiographies, poetry, film studies, maps, documents, laws, and other texts to explore the meaning and practice of the word queer. By this Shneer and Aviv mean: queer as both a form of social violence and a call to political activism; queer as played by Robin Williams and Sharon Stone and as lived by Matthew Shepard and Brandon Teena; queer in the courthouses of Washington D.C. and on the streets of hometown America. Contextualizing these contemporary stories with ones from the past, and understanding them through the analytic tools of feminist social criticism and history, the authors show what it means to be queer in America.

“I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.

Janet Boynes leads readers through her inspiring testimony, from her decision to try the homosexual lifestyle, to the trauma and pain she suffered during her 14-year walk as a lesbian, and finally, to her glorious homecoming back to God in 1998. Janet discusses with honorable candor many of the issues so aggressively guarded by the gay agenda. This book is also recommended for anyone who knows or is related to a member of the homosexual community and desires to love them as Christ would love them.

Mann looks at the influence of gay actors, directors, and set and costume designers on the development of the motion pictures.