In addition to the stresses of everyday life, gay men, lesbians and bisexuals experience multiple pressures and constraints related to their chosen lifestyles. This volume examines the gay and lesbian experience in light of this additional tension - which can result in psychopathology - and points towards a future free of heterosexism.

The internationally renowned contributors argue that the stress of `coming out', uncertainties concerning parenting children, and the difficulties facing ethnic minority lesbians, gay men and bisexuals cannot be adequately addressed without confronting the heterosexual bias in society. They propose methods geared towards eliminating heterosexual bias in a number of settings, including health care, psychotherapy and education.