Gay

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up Hunt's revision of his problematic 1978 book is rife with the same prejudices, stereotyping, contradictions, and faulty generalizations that marred the first edition. While Hunt pays lip service to the diversity of gay life, and he tries, on the surface, to replace misconceptions about homosexuality with information, his book reveals his discomfort with gays who are not straight-acting and -appearing. Gay provides a history of homosexuality and gay rights and looks into the feelings of gay teens and adults. Hunt includes graphic descriptions of the sex act and uses street language in his straightforward presentation. New in this edition is a cursory look at AIDS and its effect on the gay community. About two thirds of the items in the bibliography have been published since the last edition, but some of the information is outdated nevertheless. Hundreds of footnotes lend an aura of scholarship, but the footnote to one outlandish statement reads, ``I have no survey data on this.'' Factual errors include linking AIDS to ``homosexual sex acts,'' associating transvestism only with homosexuals, and referring to the test for antibodies to the AIDS virus as a test for AIDS. Hunt contradicts himself several times in order to support his points. Other problems include the offensive discussions of ``Homosexual Taste,'' ``Straight Gays,'' and ``Queer Gays.'' While gay teens who ``resemble healthy and successful heterosexuals'' may benefit from Hunt's frank discussion, those who are less mainstream will find this to be a misguided and inaccurate book. David Gale, ``School Library Journal''