Becoming gay Book

It's definitely a good thing that this book, originally published in 1997, feels antiquated. Attitudes towards gays have changed dramatically in last 15 years and I'm grateful to have been born when I was.

Maybe I didn't do my homework, but I expected this book to have a more singular, focused narrative. Each chapter focuses on a different group of homosexuals, i.e. those living with AIDS, those living in heterosexual marriages, teenagers, the elderly. I found the most compelling section to be the author's autobiography and the obstacles he faced with his peers in the psychoanalytic field. It's amazing to think that homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness until fairly recently.

While not a modern gay studies book by any stretch of the imagination, Becoming Gay gives one an appreciation of how today's society is relatively tolerant and supportive of homosexuals.