The History of Gay People in Alcoholics Anonymous: From the Beginning (Haworth Series in Family and Consumer Issues in Health)
ADDRESSES AN IMPORTANT AND LARGELY IGNORED TOPIC--gays and lesbians in  Alcoholics  Anonymous--through fascinating accounts from gays and lesbians in San  Francisco,  Los Angeles, and New York who have been sober for many years and have lived  through  the changes in attitudes and treatment of gays and lesbians in the larger  society  and culture and within AA. This FASCINATING book is AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP  IN  CHRONICLING AND UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCES OF GAYS AND LESBIANS IN AA  and is  a window into the ways in which AA is like and unlike the larger society.  Borden  covers how the Third Tradition was developed in the 1940s which opened AA  to all  who suffered from their drinking. She sensitively deals with the pros and  cons  of separate gay/lesbian meetings and the attitudes of many that they should  also  be welcome and feel comfortable in general AA meetings. As in the larger  society,  there were many closeted gay meetings in the 1950s known only by word of  mouth,  but by the 1970s era of advocacy that began to change with open struggles  found  in various communities. As one narrator summarized, while AA had its biases  and  limitations in welcoming gays and lesbians, AA was also more accepting and  less  prejudicial than the larger society --Thomasina Borkmman, PhD, Professor of Sociology, Emerita at George  Mason University, Fairfax,  VAThe author lets a number of people speak in their own voices, from their  own powerful  and moving experiences. These are voices that have not been heard enough  over  the past years. I was very impressed and edified by the quality of hope,  faith,  and service that they point to and draw from. . . . SHEDS LIGHT ON A LONG  NEGLECTED  TREASURE TROVE, and I am grateful that this is now available to fellow  searchers  and seekers. . . . USEFUL AND HOPEFUL AND MOST WELCOME. The men and women  interviewed  here are wonderful to meet, and wonderful to listen to --Fr. Thomas Weston, S.J., Oakland, CAThis GROUNDBREAKING book about an important but little-known part of the  history  of Alcoholics Anonymous belongs on the shelves of every alcoholic and  addict,  straight or gay. Counselors, clinicians, clergy, and their teachers will  find  it an invaluable resource. Audrey Borden has done a MAGNIFICENT job of  interweaving  over 30 fascinating interviews of influential LGBT AAs and their  contributions,  spanning 50 years to the present, with factual information about the  gradual acceptance  by Alcoholics Anonymous itself. I wish my husband and I had had this  excellent  account ourselves when we wrote our own book about Marty Mann, one of AA's  earliest  leaders. --Rev Sally Brown, MS, MDiv, United Church of Christ, Board  Certified Clinical Chaplain, Ret.,  Coauthor with David R. Brown: A Biography of Mrs. Marty Mann: The First  Lady of Alcoholics  Anonymous