On Being Different

"On Being Different," originally published in 1971, is a pioneering exploration of homosexuality in America by Merle Miller. Emerging shortly after the Stonewall riots, the book builds on Miller's influential essay in the New York Times Magazine, which responded to homophobic sentiments in the media. This significant memoir stands as one of the earliest affirmations of the importance of coming out, reflecting the challenges and realities faced by the LGBTQ+ community during that era. Now reissued by Penguin Classics with a new foreword by Dan Savage, it remains a vital part of America's discourse on sexuality.