BOOKS

I Was Barely Out of the Closet and This Big Gay Novel Came Into My Life

Ethan Mordden’s book hit my life at just the right time

My huge hardcover copy of Ethan Mordden’s “How Long Has This Been Going On?” | Photo by Joe Guay

It was 1999 and I was oh-so-slowly stepping out of the closet at age 26.

Finally and fully.

So much time to make up for. So many years spent avoiding any movies or reading material that even hinted at homosexuality. Even though I was an avid reader, I didn’t want to be guilty by association.

My tribe, my newly-supportive older gay friends had loads of suggestions — the MGM musicals I must memorize, the diva performances I must become acquainted with, the smaller independent gay movies full of fun. Movies like Trick and The Broken Hearts Club were in theaters as thankfully lighter fare compared to say The Longtime Companion or Edge of Seventeen.

But being a reader, I also wanted to explore the stories, the novels.

The shackles were off, I finally kinda liked, even loved myself, and I was no longer afraid to be seen holding or reading a known “gay” book. Titles started landing on my list — “The Front Runner” by Patricia Nell Warren. “The City and the Pillar.” “Giovanni’s Room” and “Maurice.” Armistead Maupin’s entire “Tales of the City” series. Even more recent fare like…