Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity

Description

Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity provides a sophisticated alternative to “anything goes” gay literature. Challenging the stereotype that gay men are incapable of lasting and successful relationships, 15 long-term gay couples share slices of their own lives to give you insight into their present relationships, while some discuss life after their mates have... Read more

Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity provides a sophisticated alternative to “anything goes” gay literature. Challenging the stereotype that gay men are incapable of lasting and successful relationships, 15 long-term gay couples share slices of their own lives to give you insight into their present relationships, while some discuss life after their mates have passed on. You will find that their stories offer an inspirational and richly fulfilling alternative to an empty life of promiscuity that lacks true love.

Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitments and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, this book offers you insights from contributors of different ages, professions, geographic locations, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples’lives, including:

how they met their partners
how soon they committed to each other
how long the couples have been together--from 14 years to over 50 years
their keys to leading successful, happy lives
the ways in which their relationships fulfill their personal needs and contribute to community life

You will come to realize the true strength of these men’s relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-editor Alfred Lees explains in the introduction to Longtime Companions, “We’ve all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We’ve done this without any social motivation, largely without role models, in the face of ‘official’disapproval or contempt. We’ve told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships.” Will add more. . . Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay-male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitment and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, contributors vary in age, profession, geographic location, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples’lives, including:
how they met their partners
how soon they committed to each other
how they managed to collaborate on successful, fulfilling lives
how some have maintained their commitment as part of an open relationship

You will come to realize the true strength of these men’s relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-Author Alfred Lees explains in the Introduction to Longtime Companions, “We’ve all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We’ve done this without any social innovation, largely without role models, in the face of ‘official” disapproval or contempt. We’ve told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships.”

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Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Casting for Couples: The Ones That Got Away
Enter: Key West!
Come to the Cabaret
Then, a Sour Note (with Chorus)
The Monogamy Issue
Just One More Thing
Marry Us
The Joint Accounts
The Ballad of Eddie and Scott
Park Bench to Forever
Surviving the Cure (Roy)
Corroborative Testimony
Loss of Sharing: The Bereavement Continues
The Poems
Your Presence in Absentia
Arriving at Some End
Final Acts
And So to Endure
Married--with Children
Okinawa Honeymoon
Across Boundaries
Growing Up Apart
Getting Together
A Walk on the Wild Side
The Career-Path Years
The Moves
The Queen City
Lives Long Entwined: Comments (at Forty-Seven Years) on a Committed Relationship
Life Doesn’t Begin at Forty (but It Starts Getting Better)
The Stanford Start
Careers and Finances
Cultural Pursuits in Tandem
How Many Corners on a Globe?
Friends and Social Life
Problems? Well, Al’s Had Only One (but It”s Been a Pip!)
The Retirement Project
Coda
Update
Fraternity Brothers
A Long Road for Soul Mates
The Rise from Rascals
Life in the Hollywood Hills
Life As a Charleston Hustler
Life Ever Since
A Bond Strengthened by Grief
Opposites Attract: Enduring Clashes in Personality, Generation, and Culture
Together at the Bars
Dance to the Music
Prelude
The Hesitation Waltz
Grand Pas de Deux
Fleshdance
Anniversary Waltz
The Tea Dance from Hell
The Court Ball
The Stagestruck Strut
The Tropical Two-Step
The Phoenix Fandango
The Dance of Death
Coda
The Testosterone Tarantella
Going for the Gold
Fifty Years Later--The Dinner Party Speech

Author(s)

Biography

Ronald Nelson, Alfred Lees

Longtime Companions Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity

Description

Table of Contents

Author(s)

Biography

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