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Faggots (novel)
Encyclopedia
Faggots is a novel
by Larry Kramer
, published in 1978.
It is a portrayal of 1970's New York's
most visible gay community in a time before AIDS.
The novel's gay culture is one of nameless sex and recreational drugs.
The book was banned in the only Manhattan
gay
bookstore.
Kramer was somewhat redeemed in the gay community after the AIDS
crisis when it was discovered that the high risk behavior portrayed in Faggots increased the risk of HIV
.
Locales include Fire Island, a gay bathhouse
called the "Everhard," and a club called the Toilet Bowl.
Kramer shows the extreme lifestyle of 1970s "fast lane" gay men and explores the empty and cold nature of glory holes
, bathhouses
, BDSM
and group sex.
Kramer also expresses his discomfort with the use of multiple street and prescription drugs that helped to maintain the party atmosphere. Faggots details the use of over two dozen 1970s party drugs and intoxicants (many now illegal and unavailable because of government action), such as Seconal, poppers
, LSD
, Quaaludes, alcohol
, marijuana, Valium, PCP
, cocaine
and heroin.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning...
, published in 1978.
It is a portrayal of 1970's New York's
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
most visible gay community in a time before AIDS.
The novel's gay culture is one of nameless sex and recreational drugs.
Reception
The book's influence has been strong over the years, though many have criticized Kramer for perceived negativity about his subject matter.The book was banned in the only Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
bookstore.
Kramer was somewhat redeemed in the gay community after the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
crisis when it was discovered that the high risk behavior portrayed in Faggots increased the risk of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
Overview
The main character is Fred Lemish.Locales include Fire Island, a gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
called the "Everhard," and a club called the Toilet Bowl.
Kramer shows the extreme lifestyle of 1970s "fast lane" gay men and explores the empty and cold nature of glory holes
Glory hole (sexual)
A glory hole is a hole in a wall, or other partition, often between public lavatory stalls or adult video arcade booths for people to engage in sexual activity or observe the person in the next cubicle while one or both parties masturbate. The partition maintains anonymity...
, bathhouses
Gay bathhouse
Gay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
, BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and group sex.
Kramer also expresses his discomfort with the use of multiple street and prescription drugs that helped to maintain the party atmosphere. Faggots details the use of over two dozen 1970s party drugs and intoxicants (many now illegal and unavailable because of government action), such as Seconal, poppers
Poppers
Poppers is a slang term for various alkyl nitrites inhaled for recreational purposes, particularly isopropyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite , and now more rarely, butyl nitrite and amyl nitrite...
, LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
, Quaaludes, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, marijuana, Valium, PCP
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine , commonly initialized as PCP and known colloquially as angel dust, is a recreational dissociative drug...
, cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and heroin.
See also
- Dancer from the DanceDancer from the DanceDancer from the Dance is a 1978 novel by Andrew Holleran about gay men in New York City, United States.-Plot summary:The novel revolves around two main characters: Anthony Malone, a young man from the Midwest who leaves behind his "straight" life as a lawyer to immerse himself in the gay life of...
written by Andrew HolleranAndrew HolleranAndrew Holleran is the pseudonym of Eric Garber , a novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is a prominent novelist of post-Stonewall gay literature. He was a member of The Violet Quill, a gay writer's group that met briefly from 1980-81. The Violet Quill included other prolific gay writers...
, published in 1978. - Sexual EcologySexual EcologySexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men is a book by Gabriel Rotello written in his days as a gay activist. Rotello makes the point that the large number of sexual partners available to members of the "gay fast lane" created an ecological niche which allowed the rapid early spread of...
written by Gabriel RotelloGabriel RotelloDouglas Gabriel Rotello is an openly gay American television documentary writer and producer, and the founder of OutWeek...
, published in 1997.