Recently I joined a FB group, Gay NY in the 70s and 80s, just as it expanded exponentially in size. It was quickly evident from the posts that there was an immense hunger for the men in my age cohort who lived through that era in the city to reminisce about those decades. Post after post expressed a similar trajectory – moving to NY after college, an excited discovery of the city and the sine qua non gay life it offered at the time, the establishment of a circle of friends that soon became family, the struggle with loss and fear as AIDS took hold, just as New York itself was changing into an increasingly unaffordable and scrubbed-up version of itself.
Your observations are spot on. I would suggest “Out of The Shadows. Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives” by Walt Odets. The book had a profound effect on me.
Demosthenes
I have ordered the book. I may write him afterward. Thanks for the recommend.