Collection: Shop Gay

At first, when Jordan Paliano came out of the closet, his family left him standing in the Hope Christian Church sanctuary. Fortunately, he wasn't alone.

Then they came back for him and forced him to leave the friends and church that loved him, uprooting him and forcing him to start a new life. Now, he's seeing an ex-gay therapist, attending a new church that is Hell-bent on "fixing" him, and starting over at a new school.

Vertias picks up where IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME left off, this time following the story of fifteen-year-old Jordan as he adjusts into his new life. Will he ever see his friends again? Will he ever return to the Hope Christian community where the members were just beginning to change their views on homosexuality?

Will he ever find a boyfriend?

A group of coastal Californians battle wildfires, racism, and their own demons in five distinct narratives set in late 2019 and 2020.

First Born Sons is populated by a cast of LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies who struggle to find love, comfort, and fulfillment. As the novel progresses, characters interact across the separate narratives and are brought together for a birthday and a disastrous Black Lives Matter demonstration. A man returning to the horrors that made him leave Mississippi, a blind gay man flirting with love, an FTM transgender starting hormone therapy, a woman struggling to protect her sons from her ex-husband's surge to right-wing politics, and a teenager with two gay dads searching for his Black surrogate mom paint a disturbing tableau of modern-day America.

Praise for First Born Sons:

"First Born Sons by Vincent Traughber Meis is an eye-opening, heartfelt story of the modern-day struggles of growing up in America. This book is easy to follow, with engaging scenes and lively characters that keep you turning the pages from one chapter to the next. I give it 5 out of 5 stars for creativity, remarkable story-telling, and the ability to tackle complex issues with a sense of resilience and strength throughout the book. This incredible story features vibrant characters and excellent development that keeps the reader invested in the story from beginning to end."
-Literary Titan review

Touching on subjects such as race, being trans, politics, pandemics, adoption, and more, First Born Sons is jam-packed with contemporary issues. And yet it never feels like too much. Meis gracefully weaves in and out of the narratives, writing with sensitivity and honesty about each subject. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every single chapter of this book-and each narrative within it. It is impressive to say the least for an author to tackle such difficult subjects in such a complete and compelling way. He also manages to nail the time period, an ever-important task for such a monumental time in our shared lives. It's a relief that he handles it so well.
-Independent Book Review

"Vincent Meis's First Born Sons is at once a sprawling epic with a global scope and an intimate mosaic of stories, touching on important issues like race, gender, pandemics, and prejudice -- but never forgetting the humanity at their core. These are characters you'll want to know, and this is truly a novel for our times."
- Eric Peterson, author of Loyalty, Love & Vermouth

"Meis once again proves to be an assured chronicler of our times. Never one to shy away from humanity's darker impulses, this spellbinding story of love and immigration, civil unrest, and political polarity amidst lush, tropical locales is the perfect book for summer. A rip roaring ride!"
- David Jackson Ambrose, author of Unlawful DISorder, A Blind Eye, and State of the Nation

"I raced through the pages of First Born Sons, unable to put it down. Meis explores the traumatic events of 2020 through an engaging group of characters, whose personal lives are upended by events far away and close to home. This is an exciting work that deftly captures the tensions, anxieties, and hopes of our turbulent times."
-Gar McVey-Russell, author of Sin Against the Race

Far from Home is a collection of twelve short stories, taking the reader on a journey from the desert sands of the Middle East to a forbidden Caribbean island, and many points in between.

Though two of the stories are set in the U.S., others find gay people dealing with gayness in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Spain, Turkey, Cuba, Mexico, and the Netherlands, places where the characters are physically and psychologically far from the comfort of home. Most of the stories focus on Gay men suffering alienation, confusion, violence, and loss in the eternal search for love while they travel or live in other cultures.

The overall focus is on LGBTQ people as they venture out into the world.

In the 1960s, Midwestern boy and Boy Scout, Nathan delivers newspapers and mows lawns. Nathan uses his cover to move about yards and sneak into the homes of his neighbors, uncovering their secrets.

In high school, one of the local misfits introduces him to diet pills, which help him overcome his shyness. In an amphetamine high, he meets Cindy, who he hopes will steer him along the "morally straight" path of the Boy Scout Oath he swore to.

Nathan is infatuated with a young doctor down the street, Nicholas (Dr. B), who embodies all the things his mother would love him to be. On one of his secret forays in Dr. B's house, he hides in a closet and witnesses his idol having sex with man while the wife is out of town. Dr. B's affair leads to tragedy, forcing the doctor to leave town.

At college in New Orleans, Nathan meets a group of rebels and expands his drug use. Marc, a bisexual Cajun charmer becomes Nathan's first male sexual experience, but promptly leaves town.

Nathan has a chance encounter with Dr. B, who has moved to New Orleans. Dr. B is in a relationship, but still closeted. Frustrated by Dr. B's cool reaction, Nathan goes on a six-month binge of amphetamines and anonymous sex. On one night of debauchery, he overdoses and ends up in the emergency ward.

Nathan's near death rallies Dr. B and Nathan's other friends to force him into rehab. On the way home from work, Nathan witnesses the gruesome aftermath of the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge fire that devastated the gay population of New Orleans. As a result of the fire, Dr. B's live-in boyfriend leaves town, freeing Dr. B to explore his feelings for Nathan.

Colton is on a quest to meet his surrogate mom who might help him navigate being a Black teenager in today's America. The woman who gave birth to him is Black. His dads are not. His diverse community of family and friends includes lots of LGBTQ+ people, though his first love is a girl of mixed race like him.

Colton's dads reluctantly introduce him to his birth mother, but she doesn't turn out to be person he hoped for. On his journey of falling in love, nearly losing one of his dads, and confronting a racist cousin, he learns about love, non-traditional families, community, and what is important in life. The biggest challenge of all is something he discovers about his birth, causing friction with his dads. But like every difficulty in his life, the love of his dads ultimately carries him along and lifts him up.

Revised and updated with a new introduction by the author--and available in English for the first time--the moving story of a man who always wanted to be a father and the long emotional road to making his dream come true.

Born in Cuba and raised in the USA, Armando Lucas Correa epitomized the American dream. He had everything he wanted: an incredible job as the editor of People magazine, meeting and interviewing glamorous celebrities; a steady partner; and a comfortable life filled with travel. But with the new millennium, he realized something vital was missing. A child.

In the years before gay marriage was widespread and legal across the nation, the road to parenthood was difficult for gay couples. Though his family would not be traditional, Correa was undaunted. Every setback, each emotional challenge was fuel that drove him to fulfill his dream. Exhaustively researching the possibilities, Correa eventually chose surrogacy--a long, arduous, and expensive method involving seemingly endless tests, paperwork, and difficult decisions. But with the help of science, a lot of patience, an egg donor, a gestational mother, and the unconditional support of her partner and family, Correa's dream finally came true with the birth of his beloved daughter, Emma.

In Search of Emma is an inspiring and beautiful story of love, family, and fatherhood that reminds us of that, despite the odds, we must never stop fighting to achieve our dreams. Completely revised and updated to reflect his growing family.

A Publishers Weekly Notable Book
49^th Shelf Recommended Read

A modern gay memoir exploring love, death, pain, and community that will resonate long after the last page.

"This is an embodied story of love, loss, and recovery -- raw, candid, and filled with a sense of awe at human resilience." -- Shelf Awareness

"A timely story so human, so beautiful, so bravely told with heart and humour." -- Rosie O'Donnell

A lifetime of finding punchlines in his heartache comes to a shuddering stop when comedian and writer Shawn Hitchins loses two great loves, five months apart, to sudden death. In this deeply poignant memoir that combines sober self-portrait with tender elegy, Hitchins explores the messiness of being alive: the longing and desire, scorching-earth anger, raw grief -- and the pathway of healing he discovers when he lets his heart remain open.

Never without an edge of self-awareness, The Light Streamed Beneath It invites the reader into Hitchins's world as he reckons with his past and stays painfully in the present. As he builds an embodied future, he confronts the stories that have shaped him, sets aside his ambition, and seeks connection in what he used to deflect with laughter -- therapy, community and chosen family, movement, spirituality, and an awareness of death's ever-presence.

A heartrending and hope-filled story of resilience in the wake of death, The Light Streamed Beneath It joyfully affirms that life is essentially good, as Hitchins weaves his tale full of tenacious spirit, humor, kindness, and grit through life's most unforgiving challenges.

"Why do so many in our modern society reject those who are different?

Though the mainstream acceptance of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Queer community has made leaps and bounds over the past few years, many pivotal groups within our modern society still respond to the LGBTQ] community with an overwhelming, knee-jerk reaction of "us" vs. "them." Despite the progress that has been made, misunderstanding, hatred, animosity, aggression, and violence still affect this community on a deep level. Lynda Wolters knows firsthand: a strong ally, she has come to know, understand, and have a deep respect for the community through her son, who is gay.

Including highly personal, real-world anecdotes, Voices of LGBTQ+ helps outline some of the most critical challenges the community faces today, with topical insights into:

‚[‚€‚[ Homelessness

‚[‚€‚[ Hate crimes

‚[‚€‚[ Suicide

‚[‚€‚[ Economic challenges

‚[‚€‚[ Discrimination and lack of equality

‚[‚€‚[ Religious and biblical conflicts

Though judgment a

First-person testimonies from LGBTQ+ Christians about coming out and navigating their family dynamics

What happens in a family when one member comes out? How does LGBTQ+ identity affect relationships with parents and grandparents, siblings and cousins? What does Christian love require and make possible for families moving forward together?

A social scientist and a pastor, both from Galileo Church on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, asked their LGBTQ+ friends from church to help them understand how they navigate relationships with their affirming, non-affirming, and affirming-ish families of origin, even as they also find belonging in other families of choice. The resulting stories, crafted from interviews with fifteen queer Christians and family members, kept anonymous at their request, are as varied as the colors of the rainbow. Over the years, some grew closer to their families of origin; others grew more distant. Some were surprised by the hardness of heart they encountered; others were amazed by the breadth of their family's love. Most all describe a trajectory, a journey, from the coming-out moment till now and beyond, as their families of origin, like all families, remain a work in progress.

A stunning portrait of community, identity, and sexuality by the critically acclaimed author of The Narrow Door

When Paul Lisicky arrived in Provincetown in the early 1990s, he was leaving behind a history of family trauma to live in a place outside of time, known for its values of inclusion, acceptance, and art. In this idyllic haven, Lisicky searches for love and connection and comes into his own as he finds a sense of belonging. At the same time, the center of this community is consumed by the AIDS crisis, and the very structure of town life is being rewired out of necessity: What might this utopia look like during a time of dystopia?

Later dramatizes a spectacular yet ravaged place and a unique era when more fully becoming one's self collided with the realization that ongoingness couldn't be taken for granted, and staying alive from moment to moment exacted absolute attention. Following the success of his acclaimed memoir, The Narrow Door, Lisicky fearlessly explores the body, queerness, love, illness, community, and belonging in this masterful, ingenious new book.

'Uplifting and triumphant' JUNO DAWSON
'This book is vital' RUSSELL T DAVIES
'A brilliant resource' LADY PHYLL
'A must-read for anyone grappling with coming out' RIYADH KHALAF
'Inspirational' PETER TATCHELL

"He told me being gay was nothing to be ashamed of." - Bill
"I put my hands over my eyes as I told her, as I couldn't bear to see her reaction." - Olivia

Based on the hugely popular Coming Out Stories podcast, this empowering, humorous and deeply honest book invites you to share one of the most important moments in many LGBTQ+ people's lives.

From JP coming out to his reflection in the mirror, to Jacob coming out to their Mum over email, from Christine knowing she was trans as a young child, to Kerry coming out as a lesbian in her late thirties, all of the real life stories in this book show you there is no right or wrong way to come out, whatever your age and whatever your background.

Whether you're gay, pan, queer, bi, trans, non-binary, or an ally, this uplifting go-to resource is filled with helpful advice and tips on what to expect, and inspirational quotes from leading LGBTQ+ figures, to help you live your life as your most authentic self. Welcome to the family!

Winner of the 2021 ABA Silver Gavel Award: The definitive history of the marriage equality debate in the United States, praised by Library Journal as "beautifully and accessibly written. . . . An essential work."

"[A] magnum opus about the political and legal path to Obergefell."--Eric Cervini, New York Times Book Review

"[An] impressive survey of how far the gay rights movement has come."--Publishers Weekly

As a legal scholar who first argued in the early 1990s for a right to gay marriage, William N. Eskridge Jr. has been on the front lines of the debate over same-sex marriage for decades. In this book, Eskridge and his coauthor, Christopher R. Riano, offer a panoramic and definitive history of America's marriage equality debate. The authors explore the deeply religious, rabidly political, frequently administrative, and pervasively constitutional features of the debate and consider all angles of its dramatic history. While giving a full account of the legal and political issues, the authors never lose sight of the personal stories of the people involved, or of the central place the right to marry holds in a person's ability to enjoy the dignity of full citizenship. This is not a triumphalist or one-sided book but a thoughtful history of how the nation wrestled with an important question of moral and legal equality.

Running with Scissors meets Grey Gardens in this "vivid tragicomedy" (People), a riveting riches-to-rags tale of a wealthy family who lost it all and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family's deep flaws and his own hidden secrets.

"Wake up, you filthy beasts!" Wendy Hamill would shout to her children in the mornings before school. Startled from their dreams, Kirk and his two brothers couldn't help but wonder--would they find enough food in the house for breakfast?

Following a hostile exit from New York's upper-class society, newly divorced Wendy and her three sons are exiled from the East Coast elite circle. Wendy's middle son, Kirk, is eight when she moves the family to her native Bermuda, leaving the three young boys to fend for themselves as she chases after the highs of her old life: alcohol, a wealthy new suitor, and other indulgences.

After eventually leaving his mother's dysfunctional orbit for college in New Orleans, Kirk begins to realize how different his family and upbringing is from that of his friends and peers. Split between rich privilege--early years living in luxury on his family's private compound--and bare survival--rationing food and water during the height of his mother's alcoholism--Kirk is used to keeping up appearances and burying his inconvenient truths from the world, until he's eighteen and falls in love for the first time.

A keenly observed, fascinating window into the life of extreme privilege and a powerful story of self-acceptance, Filthy Beasts is "a stunning, deeply satisfying story about how we outlive our upbringings" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

A graphic novel that teaches teens about the history of gay rights in America while emphasizing the recurring theme that "It's okay to be gay. Or not. Either way, it's okay."

From day one I knew there was something different about me. Cael sets out to find out who he is -- something he wants to know more than anything. With the help of a trusted teacher, a new friend, and his favorite book, he discovers what he knew all along.

Inside you'll find three stories braided into one: a coming-of-age coming out story, a lesson on civil rights and marriage equality, and historical fiction about a gay man in the military. And you'll read about how Cael comes out as gay, comfortable with who he is and confident that it's okay.

2017 National Indie Excellence Award Winner for LGBTQ Fiction for Children and Young Adults

A candid memoir of denial, stolen identities, betrayal, faking it, and coming out.

Do you know me?, the email began, sparking tremors of fear that turned into a full quake of panic when William Dameron discovered that his selfie had been stolen by strangers. On social networks and dating sites, his image and identity--a forty-year-old straight white male--had been used to hook countless women into believing in lies of love and romance. Was it all an ironic cosmic joke? Almost a decade prior, William himself had been living a lie that had lasted for more than twenty years. His secret? He was a gay man, a fact he hid from his wife and two daughters for almost as long as he had hidden it from himself.

In this emotional and unflinchingly honest memoir of coming out of the closet late in life, owning up to the past, and facing the future, William Dameron confronts steroid addiction, the shame and homophobia of his childhood, the sledgehammer of secrets that slowly tore his marriage apart, and his love for a gay father of three that would once again challenge the boundaries of trust. At the true heart of The Lie is a universal story about turning self-doubt into self-acceptance and about pain, anger, and the long journey of both seeking and giving forgiveness.