An edition of The Gay Mystique (1972)

The Gay Mystique

The Myth and Reality of Male Homosexuality

  • 0 Ratings
  • 4 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 1 Have read

My Reading Lists:

Create a new list

Check-In

×Close
Add an optional check-in date. Check-in dates are used to track yearly reading goals.
Today

  • 0 Ratings
  • 4 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 1 Have read

Buy this book

Last edited by Erraticonteuse
July 6, 2023 | History
An edition of The Gay Mystique (1972)

The Gay Mystique

The Myth and Reality of Male Homosexuality

  • 0 Ratings
  • 4 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 1 Have read

This is the 1978 reprint cover. The Gay Mystique is a seminal book about being gay. It was written by Peter Fisher, an "avowed homosexual" in the parlance of the day, who was an activist in the early post-Stonewall Gay Liberation Movement. He was a member and officer in the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). GAA was a protest group that split off from the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) after the Stonewall riots with the goal of "writing the revolution into law." The group specialized in leading "zaps", or protests targeted at public figures, to expose homophbia in all areas of public life, the most famous probably being a zap of Harpers Magazine after they published a virulently homophobic article by Joseph Epstein in 1970 . Fisher also served as an unofficial historian for GAA.

This book was described as "one of the first books to look at the subject (of being gay) from the inside rather than from a heterosexual’s viewpoint."

Fisher discusses, in detail, many different aspects of the "gay mystique" from how do you know you're not gay; are homosexuals sick; coming out; the current (for 1972) political aspects of being gay; where do gay people meet; and many other areas.

The main thing I took away from the book when I read it first in 1973 (I'm re-reading it now in June of 2015) is the revolutionary idea that being gay is perfectly normal and OK. We were not (are not) sick and don't need to be cured. This is still the focus of the book (in my humble opinion) and it's not so revolutionary anymore.

His partner/lover (the preferred term at the time), Marc Rubin was a special education teacher and together they wrote a novel entitled, “Special Teachers/ Special Boys” based on Rubin’s experiences teaching troubled youth.

Publish Date
Publisher
Stein & Day
Language
English
Pages
252

Buy this book

Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The Gay Mystique
The Gay Mystique: The Myth and Reality of Male Homosexuality
November 1978, Stein & Day Pub
Paperback in English - Revised edition
Cover of: The gay mystique
The gay mystique: the myth and reality of male homosexuality
1975, Stein & Day
Cover of: The Gay Mystique
The Gay Mystique: The Myth and Reality of Male Homosexuality
1973, Stein & Day
Paperback in English
Cover of: The gay mystique
The gay mystique: the myth and reality of male homosexuality
1973, Stein & Day
in English - 1st Stein and Day pbk. ed.
Cover of: The Gay Mystique
The Gay Mystique: The Myth and Reality of Male Homosexuality
February 1972, Stein & Day Pub
Hardcover in English

Add another edition?

Community Reviews (0)

Feedback?
No community reviews have been submitted for this work.

History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
July 6, 2023 Edited by Erraticonteuse Edited without comment.
July 22, 2021 Edited by Lisa Merge works
July 22, 2021 Edited by Lisa reverted to revision 7
May 28, 2021 Edited by Jenner Merge works
June 13, 2015 Edited by Ben McLaughlin Added new cover