Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out

by Jaffe Cohen, Bob Smith, Funny Gay Males

A collection of anecdotes and humorous retorts are presented by an acclaimed gay comedy group, confirming some stereotypes and dispelling others while detailing positive portraits of growing up gay.

Genres: Gay, LGBT, Humor, Memoir, Nonfiction, Queer

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times I actually laughed out loud, the humor was generally sharp and witty even though it did rely on stereotypes but they were self-aware and the jokes were made lovingly. It even touched upon some hard topics and yet still made me smile. Some of the humor is dated but nostalgia mostly blinded me to that fact. It is definitely written for and by the gay male perspective so unless you are a gay male you might not fight this book as endearing funny or heartwarming unless you are steeped in gay culture like my straight female friend I just lent this to.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trio has made a living out of their homosexuality. But they know it isn’t so easy for other gay males who long to live free but don’t necessarily want to go into show business. From fiddling with your sister’s Barbie dolls to wrangling with the wretched quandaries produced by religion, Funny Gay Males has something pointed, witty and oh so sharp to tell its readerships. The observations are meant to be an affirmation of gayness (Gaiety? Gayhood?) without being overly sanctimonious about it. Above all, it reminds all of us that there’s a lot of fun in being gay, the best being that you get to wear bright shades without feeling defensive.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

this wasn't as good as I had expected, not because it didn't describe what it was like to grow up as a gay young man, but because so much of it was dated. It seemed like The book was dedicated to movies and TV, but all the movies and television shows that they described were on in the 60s. Growing up in the 80s, I didn't see any of these movies or watch any of these shows, so I was kind of out of the loop. So it was very dated.