Gay life has become increasingly open in the last decade. In Beyond the Closet , Steven Seidman, a well-known author and leading scholar in sexuality, is the first to chronicle this lifestyle change and to look at the lives of contemporary gays and lesbians to see how their "e;out"e; status has changed. This compelling, well-written, and smart account is an important step forward for the gay and lesbian community.

Steven Seidman is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Albany, and an expert on sexuality and social theory. His many books include Embattled Eros: Sexual Politics and Ethics inContemporary America, Romantic Longings: Love in America,1830-1980, and The Handbook of Gay and Lesbian Studies.

IndroductionIn the ClosetGay and Lesbian Life after the ClosetStraight EncountersFrom the Polluted Homosexual to the Normal GayFrom Outsider to CitizenEpilogueAppendixNotesIndex