A much-needed introduction to life beyond the closet door, Mike Ford’s The World Out There: Becoming Part of the Lesbian and Gay Community is the first book for a new generation of young men and women who want to know more about what being part of the gay and lesbian community means.

In a book that many older gay men and lesbians will wish had been available to them, The World Out There addresses everything from dating and the gay bar scene, to career and education choices, community centers, and online services.

The book includes lists of songs, artists, books, films, and resources of special interest to lesbians and gay men; schools with gay studies programs; and portraits of a half-dozen gay communities in cities across the country. Brief profiles offer examples of men and women who have successfully incorporated their gay identities into their personal and professional lives.

Ideal for the thousands of young men and women who migrate to urban gay communities every year, The World Out There is also for the thousands of others isolated in less receptive settings for whom this book will open up a whole wonderful and reassuring universe of possibilities.