One of the founders of the gay and lesbian liberation movement, Jack Nichols was a warrior for gay equality. Recounting his life and work, Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer: “Have You Heard My Message?” skillfully weaves the story of a man, a movement, and a moment that shaped gay and lesbian history. This powerful biography captures the wisdom, passion, and spirit of a prolific activist and inspirational human being who refused to be silent in a society that considered homosexuality to be sinful and criminal. As a journalist, activist, and editor of the first gay weekly newspaper in the United States, Jack Nichols left a legacy of gay rights, gay pride, and tremendous courage. Covering episodes before and after Stonewall, during the AIDS epidemic, and beyond, Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer charts the life of this pivotal figure from his childhood in the suburbs of Washington, DC, to his final impassioned days in a Florida cancer treatment center in 2005. This book also explores Nichols’ family history and its unique influence on his activist tendencies, as well as his revolutionary relationship with Lige Clark and their status as “the most famous homosexuals in America.” Thoughtful and moving, Jack Nichols: Gay Pioneer also includes the ideas Nichols used to bring the movement to critical mass, and the sources that were influential to his work. Some of the topics detailed in this book are the early influence of Burns and Whitman on the homosexual movement, the integration of androgyny and anarchism into his activist philosophy, his attack on the psychiatric establishment’s theory of homosexuality as a “sickness”, and his work and vision in men’s liberation. Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer: “Have You Heard My Message?” offers a compelling look at the man and the movement, as well as a wealth of hard-to-find summaries on underground gay journalism, detailed references, personal photographs, and a complete bibliography of Nichols’s major writings. This book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the history and future of LGBT movements, as well as students, educators, and researchers seeking a comprehensive and thorough treatment of this revolutionary figure.

Jack Nichols, Gay Pioneer: "Have You Heard My Message?" weaves the story of a man and a movement into this powerful biography that captures the wisdom and passion of Jack Nichols. A compelling look at this prolific activist, inspirational human being, and warrior for gay equality.

Leading the Parade traces the evolution of the gay and lesbian liberation through the personal profiles and stories of nearly 40 individuals whose daring efforts changed gay and straight America and their attitudes toward homosexuality during the twentieth century.

Interviews and first-hand accounts of an historic decision that affected the mental health profession—and American society and culture Through the personal accounts of those who were there, American Psychiatry and Homosexuality: An Oral History examines the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM). This unique book includes candid one-on-one interviews with key mental health professionals who played a role in the APA’s decision, those who helped organize gay, lesbian, and bisexual psychiatrists after the decision, and others who have made significant contributions in this area within the mental health field. American Psychiatry and Homosexuality presents an insider’s view of how homosexuality was removed from the DSM, the gradual organization of gay and lesbian psychiatrists within the APA, and the eventual formation of the APA-allied Association of Gay & Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP). The book profiles 17 individuals, both straight and gay, who made important contributions to organized psychiatry and the mental health needs of lesbian and gay patients, and illustrates the role that gay and lesbian psychiatrists would later play in the mental health field when they no longer had to hide their identities. Individuals profiled in American Psychiatry and Homosexuality include: Dr. John Fryer, who disguised his identity to speak before the APA’s annual meeting in 1972 on the discrimination gay psychiatrists faced in their own profession Dr. Charles Silverstein, who saw the diagnosis of homosexuality as a means of social control Dr. Lawrence Hartmann, who helped reform the APA and later served as its President in 1991-92 Dr. Robert J. Campbell, who helped persuade the APA’s Nomenclature Committee to hear scientific data presented by gay activists Dr. Judd Marmor, an early psychoanalytic critic of theories that pathologized homosexuality Dr. Robert Spitzer, who chaired the APA’s Nomenclature Committee Dr. Frank Rundle, who helped organize the first meeting of what would become the APA Caucus of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Psychiatrists Dr. David Kessler, AGLP President from 1980-82 Dr. Nanette Gartrell, a pioneer of feminist issues within the APA Dr. Stuart Nichols, President of the AGLP in 1983-84 and a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists of New York (GLPNY) Dr. Emery Hetrick, a founding member of both AGLP and GLPNY Dr. Bertram Schaffner, who was instrumental in providing group psychotherapy for physicians with AIDS Dr. Martha Kirkpatrick, a long-time leader in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, both as a woman and an “out” lesbian Dr. Richard Isay, the first openly gay psychoanalyst in the American Psychoanalytic Association Dr. Richard Pillard, best known for studying the incidence of homosexuality in families of twins Dr. Edward Hanin, former Speaker of the APA Assembly Dr. Ralph Roughton, the first openly gay Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst to be recognized within the American and International Psychoanalytic Associations American Psychiatry and Homosexuality presents the personal, behind-the-scenes accounts of a major historical event in psychiatry and medicine and of a decision that has affected society and culture ever since. This is an essential resource for mental health educators, supervisors, and professionals; historians; and LGBT readers in general.

Contrary to popular notions, today’s LGBT movement did not begin with the Stonewall riots in 1969. Long before Stonewall, there was Franklin Kameny (1925–2011), one of the most significant figures in the gay rights movement. Beginning in 1958, he encouraged gay people to embrace homosexuality as moral and healthy, publicly denounced the federal government for excluding homosexuals from federal employment, openly fought the military’s ban against gay men and women, debated psychiatrists who depicted homosexuality as a mental disorder, identified test cases to advance civil liberties through the federal courts, acted as counsel to countless homosexuals suffering state-sanctioned discrimination, and organized marches for gay rights at the White House and other public institutions. In Gay Is Good, Long collects Kameny’s historically rich letters, revealing some of the early stirrings of today’s politically powerful LGBT movement. These letters are lively and colorful because they are in Kameny’s inimitable voice—a voice that was consistently loud, echoing through such places as the Oval Office, the Pentagon, and the British Parliament, and often shrill, piercing to the federal agency heads, military generals, and media personalities who received his countless letters. This volume collects approximately 150 letters from 1958 to 1975, a critical period in Kameny’s life during which he evolved from a victim of the law to a vocal opponent of the law, to the voice of the law itself. Long situates these letters in context, giving historical and biographical data about the subjects and events involved. Gay Is Good pays tribute to an advocate whose tireless efforts created a massive shift in social attitudes and practices, leading the way toward equality for the LGBT community.

There's nothing better than a book you can't put down—or better yet, a book you'll never forget. This book puts the power of transformational reading into your hands. Jack Canfield, cocreator of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, and self-actualization pioneer Gay Hendricks have invited notable people to share personal stories of books that changed their lives. What book shaped their outlook and habits? Helped them navigate rough seas? Spurred them to satisfaction and success? The contributors include Dave Barry, Stephen Covey, Malachy McCourt, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Mark Victor Hansen, John Gray, Christiane Northrup, Bernie Siegel, Craig Newmark, Michael E. Gerber, Lou Holtz, and Pat Williams, to name just a few. Their richly varied stories are poignant, energizing, and entertaining.Author and actor Malachy McCourt tells how a tattered biography of Gandhi, stumbled on in his youth, offered a shining example of true humility—and planted the seeds that would help support his sobriety decades later. Bestselling author and physician Bernie Siegel, M.D., tells how William Saroyan's The Human Comedy helped him realize that, in order to successfully treat his patients with life-threatening illnesses, "I had to help them live—not just prevent them from dying." Actress Catherine Oxenberg reveals how, at a life crossroads and struggling with bulimia, a book taught her the transforming difference one person could make in the life of another—and why that person for her was Richard Burton. Rafe Esquith, the award-winning teacher whose inner-city students have performed Shakespeare all over the world, recounts his deep self-doubt in the midst of his success—and how reading To Kill a Mockingbird strengthened him to continue teaching. Beloved librarian and bestselling author Nancy Pearl writes how, at age ten, Robert Heinlein's science fiction book Space Cadet impressed on her the meaning of personal integrity and gave her a vision of world peace she'd never imagined possible. Two years later, she marched in her first civil rights demonstration and learned that there's always a way to make "a small contribution to intergalactic harmony." If you're looking for insight and illumination—or simply for that next great book to read—You've Got to Read This Book! has treasures in store for you.