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Fairyboy: Growing Up Gay and Out in Pre-Stonewall New York and Beyond
When Garrett Glaser came out as gay to his mother at age fourteen, she said, “You are going to a psychiatrist right now, young man! We are going to nip this in the bud.” Fortunately, she came around to accept her son’s orientation, and Garrett used his psychiatric sessions to address the challenges of finding a boyfriend.
It was 1967, and Garrett was a tenth grader at the prestigious Dalton School in New York City. When he graduated, the headmaster was heard to say of Garrett and his friend, “We just graduated our first fags.” Such was the world before the Stonewall rebellion. It was a time before rainbow flags, when very few gay people were able to live honestly and openly.
Garrett was an unusually adventurous and self-assured teenager. In FAIRYBOY, readers will follow as he explores the hidden world of gay New York, from the infamous “trucks” along the West Side Highway to the Continental Baths in its opening weeks.
Garrett grew up to become an Emmy Award-winning TV news correspondent, with stints at CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and Entertainment Tonight. During his thirty-year career, he interviewed the biggest stars and notables of the era, from Elizabeth Taylor and President George H.W. Bush to Oprah Winfrey and even Charles Manson.
In FAIRYBOY, Garrett muses on changes in gay politics over the decades and weaves stories demonstrating the importance of mentors—and of remaining true to oneself.
It was 1967, and Garrett was a tenth grader at the prestigious Dalton School in New York City. When he graduated, the headmaster was heard to say of Garrett and his friend, “We just graduated our first fags.” Such was the world before the Stonewall rebellion. It was a time before rainbow flags, when very few gay people were able to live honestly and openly.
Garrett was an unusually adventurous and self-assured teenager. In FAIRYBOY, readers will follow as he explores the hidden world of gay New York, from the infamous “trucks” along the West Side Highway to the Continental Baths in its opening weeks.
Garrett grew up to become an Emmy Award-winning TV news correspondent, with stints at CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and Entertainment Tonight. During his thirty-year career, he interviewed the biggest stars and notables of the era, from Elizabeth Taylor and President George H.W. Bush to Oprah Winfrey and even Charles Manson.
In FAIRYBOY, Garrett muses on changes in gay politics over the decades and weaves stories demonstrating the importance of mentors—and of remaining true to oneself.
262 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2025
About the author
Garrett Glaser
4 books4 followersGarrett Glaser was the first "out of the closet" local TV news anchor and correspondent in the United States. He "came out" while on the air on the Channel 4 News at KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, on December 5th, 1994, when he was 41. Garrett grew up in Manhattan in the early 1960's and knew he felt homosexual attractions by the age of eleven. He came out to his parents in 1967, at the age of 14. The first thing his mother told him was, "You're going to a psychiatrist right now young man and we're going to put a stop to this! Do you understand me?"
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 9, 2025
This is a book I really wanted to love, but could only like for the recounting of the details of his life. His opinions and pontifications on gender and the current state of LGBT+ affairs, however, only reinforce his self-avowed ability to deny the painful aspects of the things he got to observe and report on. He's typical of those gays who grow up privileged, protected, and praised for his "bravery" in living his life out and celebrated. Particularly galling is his willing in the final chapters to lock the door on trans people because they "upset the acceptance" gays have achieved. Clearly, his empathy is not as developed as his intelligence.
July 23, 2025
Great read
Well written Garrett Glaser was one of the first Tele journalists to come out being gay in a big city that didn't expect his life style. This is a great read with a lot of humor with encouragement for the LGBTQ community.
Well written Garrett Glaser was one of the first Tele journalists to come out being gay in a big city that didn't expect his life style. This is a great read with a lot of humor with encouragement for the LGBTQ community.
July 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews:
Our Verdict: GET IT!
Glaser shares memories of growing up in 1950s and ’60s New York City and his later career in media as an out gay man. The author first lays the foundations of his life, then reveals, through memory, the ways that he progressively opened himself up to the world. This openness came with an increasing amount of risk, as well as reward, as he revealed his sexual orientation to his family, to his friends, to his community, and, in 1994, over the air to the entire nation; he worked extensively in local TV news, and, later, as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. (As he notes, “I have too many anecdotes about 30 years as an out reporter to include here—there is enough material for another whole book.”) From the start, Glaser speaks with remarkably candid clarity and genuineness about topics that are sometimes emotionally difficult. As is true with many memoirs and personal essays, he begins by speaking directly to the reader, outlining how he will use language throughout the book, noting that it’s “easier” to use terms with which he’s familiar, and that he means no offense in their use: “I…find something rewarding in studying the terminology of earlier days: sexual inversion, deviant sexual behavior, sodomite, homophile, etc.,” he says, and he has an appreciation for terms such as “fag, dyke, homo, fairy and the like” that were once “used against us.” This early conversation serves an important, twofold purpose: First, of course, it prepares readers for how Glaser will relate to them for the rest of the work, but secondly, it effectively draws them close by identifying the storyteller as prepared to present an honest self-portrait. This makes for a wonderfully natural storytelling experience, and he rewardingly reinforces his recollections with citations from academic articles, films, and other sources to show that his experiences are only part of something much larger. Overall, the book is likely to appeal to anyone seeking to learn a bit of gay history via the framework of a revealing personal remembrance.
A striking account of one person’s life in a changing community.
Our Verdict: GET IT!
Glaser shares memories of growing up in 1950s and ’60s New York City and his later career in media as an out gay man. The author first lays the foundations of his life, then reveals, through memory, the ways that he progressively opened himself up to the world. This openness came with an increasing amount of risk, as well as reward, as he revealed his sexual orientation to his family, to his friends, to his community, and, in 1994, over the air to the entire nation; he worked extensively in local TV news, and, later, as a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. (As he notes, “I have too many anecdotes about 30 years as an out reporter to include here—there is enough material for another whole book.”) From the start, Glaser speaks with remarkably candid clarity and genuineness about topics that are sometimes emotionally difficult. As is true with many memoirs and personal essays, he begins by speaking directly to the reader, outlining how he will use language throughout the book, noting that it’s “easier” to use terms with which he’s familiar, and that he means no offense in their use: “I…find something rewarding in studying the terminology of earlier days: sexual inversion, deviant sexual behavior, sodomite, homophile, etc.,” he says, and he has an appreciation for terms such as “fag, dyke, homo, fairy and the like” that were once “used against us.” This early conversation serves an important, twofold purpose: First, of course, it prepares readers for how Glaser will relate to them for the rest of the work, but secondly, it effectively draws them close by identifying the storyteller as prepared to present an honest self-portrait. This makes for a wonderfully natural storytelling experience, and he rewardingly reinforces his recollections with citations from academic articles, films, and other sources to show that his experiences are only part of something much larger. Overall, the book is likely to appeal to anyone seeking to learn a bit of gay history via the framework of a revealing personal remembrance.
A striking account of one person’s life in a changing community.
January 5, 2026
This book was a bit of disappointment. The author, a retired entertainment reporter and an activist left out any pre and post Stonewall mischief. He was denied admission to a 42nd Street porno bookstore.
Much of the book is dedicated to his career as a reporter, where he discusses being openly gay at work as well as citing some mentors and gay role models. The book is sincerely written but dedicated to a younger demographic than myself.
Much of the book is dedicated to his career as a reporter, where he discusses being openly gay at work as well as citing some mentors and gay role models. The book is sincerely written but dedicated to a younger demographic than myself.
July 15, 2025
Book overview:
I wrote this memoir. I worked on it for ten years. Although I wouldn’t automatically give myself high marks for my work, I’m doing it this time. Hope you’ll read some of the reviews on Amazon and Facebook. People like it and that makes me happy.
———-
ABOUT THE AUTHOR. FROM THE FLAP.
When Garrett Glaser came out as gay to his mother at age fourteen, she said, "You are going to a psychiatrist right now, young man! We are going to nip this in the bud." Fortunately, she came around to accept her son's orientation, and Garrett used his psychiatric sessions to address the challenges of finding a boyfriend.
It was 1967, and Garrett was a tenth grader at the prestigious Dalton School in New York City. When he graduated, the headmaster was heard to say of Garrett and his friend, "We just graduated our first fags." Such was the world before the Stonewall rebellion. It was a time before rainbow flags, when very few gay people were able to live honestly and openly.
Garrett was an unusually adventurous and self-assured teenager. In FAIRYBOY, readers will follow as he explores the hidden world of gay New York, from the infamous "trucks" along the West Side Highway to the Continental Baths in its opening weeks.
Garrett grew up to become an Emmy Award-winning TV news correspondent, with stints at CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and Entertainment Tonight. During his thirty-year career, he interviewed the biggest stars and notables of the era, from Elizabeth Taylor and President George H.W. Bush to Oprah Winfrey and even Charles Manson.
In FAIRYBOY, Garrett muses on changes in gay politics over the decades and weaves stories demonstrating the importance of mentors-and of remaining true to oneself. #
I wrote this memoir. I worked on it for ten years. Although I wouldn’t automatically give myself high marks for my work, I’m doing it this time. Hope you’ll read some of the reviews on Amazon and Facebook. People like it and that makes me happy.
———-
ABOUT THE AUTHOR. FROM THE FLAP.
When Garrett Glaser came out as gay to his mother at age fourteen, she said, "You are going to a psychiatrist right now, young man! We are going to nip this in the bud." Fortunately, she came around to accept her son's orientation, and Garrett used his psychiatric sessions to address the challenges of finding a boyfriend.
It was 1967, and Garrett was a tenth grader at the prestigious Dalton School in New York City. When he graduated, the headmaster was heard to say of Garrett and his friend, "We just graduated our first fags." Such was the world before the Stonewall rebellion. It was a time before rainbow flags, when very few gay people were able to live honestly and openly.
Garrett was an unusually adventurous and self-assured teenager. In FAIRYBOY, readers will follow as he explores the hidden world of gay New York, from the infamous "trucks" along the West Side Highway to the Continental Baths in its opening weeks.
Garrett grew up to become an Emmy Award-winning TV news correspondent, with stints at CNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and Entertainment Tonight. During his thirty-year career, he interviewed the biggest stars and notables of the era, from Elizabeth Taylor and President George H.W. Bush to Oprah Winfrey and even Charles Manson.
In FAIRYBOY, Garrett muses on changes in gay politics over the decades and weaves stories demonstrating the importance of mentors-and of remaining true to oneself. #
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews