The velvet rage : overcoming the pain of growing up gay in a straight man's world / Alan Downs, PH.D.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Downs, Alan, author.

Contributor:

Penn Sexuality Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Gift of the William Way LGBT Community Center (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gay men--Psychology.

Gay men.

Gay men--Social conditions.

Gay men--Identity.

Coming out (Sexual orientation)--Psychological aspects.

Coming out (Sexual orientation).

Internalized homophobia.

Physical Description:

viii, 212 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First De Capo Press paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

[Cambridge, MA] : Da Capo Lifelong, 2006.

Summary:

The gay male world today is characterized by seductive beauty, artful creativity, flamboyant sexuality, and, encouragingly, unprecedented acceptability in society. Yet despite the progress of the past century, our intimate relationships are generally short-lived, and depression and suicide occur more frequently than among straight men. Although an entire generation of gay men has freely come out of the closet, we still find ourselves asking, "Are we really better off?" Through honest individual stories and compassionate analysis, this book explores the lingering, deep-rooted shame which can be traced to our childhood experiences of feeling "other" and perhaps emotionally abandoned by the first men in our lives, our fathers. Most of us rage quietly against this shame, masking it behind a façade of beauty, creativity, or material success. Therapist Downs outlines three stages to emotional well-being for gay men and offers strategies to stop the insidious cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior.--From publisher description.

Contents:

Introduction

The roots of rage

The little boy with the big secret

Ugly truths & high fashion dreams

Out & raging

Drowning

Bewitched, betrayed

The real me: a crisis of identity

Paying the piper

Stuck in shame: the vicious cycle

In the mood for a man

What's it all about?: a crisis of meaning

Mighty real

Healing relationship trauma

The road to contentment

What mom didn't know & dad couldn't accept: lessons on being an authentic gay man.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Cushing Library/Women & Gender Studies copy was acquired as part of The Don Kelly Research Collection of Gay Literature and Culture.

Local Notes:

Gift of the William Way LGBT Community Center.

ISBN:

0738210617

9780738210612

OCLC:

1067158449