By tracing the evolution of gay life and identity in San Francisco, Elizabeth Armstrong explores how the social movement has managed to combine a unified group identity with the celebration of cultural differences.

<div>Unlike many social movements, the gay and lesbian struggle for visibility and rights has succeeded in combining a unified group identity with the celebration of individual differences. <i>Forging Gay Identities</i> explores how this happened, tracing the evolution of gay life and organizations in San Francisco from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.</div>