One of the definitive works on gay life. Through this collective testimony we may come to understand what it is to be 'the other'; in short, the other part of ourselves.

Ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things, and that's what it's all about. They must count.

I'm called an oral historian, which is something of a joke. Oral history was here long before the pen, long before Gutenberg and the printing press. The difference is I have a tape recorder in my hand.

Most of us have jobs that are too small for our spirits.

If we're to have a future in the 21st century, we'll want to be able to say, "Now what was the 20th century like in the United States of America, the most powerful of all countries of that century? What was it like to be an ordinary person?"

If solace is any sort of succor to someone, that is sufficient. I believe in the faith of people, whatever faith they may have.

I hope that memory is valued - that we do not lose memory.