Out in America: A Portrait of Gay and Lesbian Life by Michael Goff

For Gay and Lesbian Americans, visibility has always been a key issue. While some maintain a life in the closet for family, career, or personal reasons, others come out to a world that rarely celebrates, and at times refuses to tolerate, the simple courage of people just being themselves. Out in America should look no different from the rest of America to the casual observer - there are farmers and artists, sky divers, families, professionals, and retirees. But for gay men, lesbians, and their supporters, the 250 photographs in this book offer evidence of a community that knows no boundaries, a community that has put down roots in truly every segment of American society. Out in America is divided into 10 subjects, each opening with a "dispatch" from a distinguished gay or lesbian journalist. The book opens with a foreword by Margarethe Cammermeyer, recently reinstated Chief Nurse of the Washington National Guard, whose courage and persistence exemplify what all gay and lesbian Americans must face on a daily basis: the fight for equality in a country founded upon this very principle. As Michael Goff, editor of Out magazine, writes in his introduction: "Over the last half century, millions of written words have estimated, reported, and argued that 'We are everywhere.' This project simplifies and amplifies those efforts, through the age-old law that each photo is worth a thousand words. The sum of the parts is actually much greater than that. Enjoy - and join us - out in America. The grass is greener."