Profiles in gay & lesbian courage

"Inspired by John F. Kennedy's study of politicians with principles, these eight portraits are of men and women who, in their dramatic involvement with government, have much more than their own political futures at stake. Elaine Nobel, the first openly gay person elected to public office in the United States, triumphs, but Harvey Milk, a city supervisor in San Francisco, forfeits his life. Other profiles depict the labor activist who invented gay liberation, a lesbian nun invited to the White House, and a black architect who has fought for recognition of gay concerns within the civil-rights movement. Included are stories of Barbara Gittings, Ivy Bottini, and Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, the ware hero who made history by proclaiming "I am a homosexual" on the cover of Time magazine. These profiles of heroes of the gay movement present a wide but little-known spectrum of important American history."--Dust jacket.