I started writing because I had a need inside

of me to create something that was not there.

Audre Lorde, poet, feminist, and warrior activist for civil rights

Through all but recent recorded history, queer people were omitted from historical records much as women and people of color have been. So many people unheard, so many stories lost...

In this exciting collection you will find unforgettable and brilliant stories that place lesbian and gay characters back into American history. Fourteen talented authors have represented events in the historical timeline from the 1600's Salem Witch Trials to 1970's hijacker DB Cooper because they had a "need to create something that was not there." Many tales are entertaining, heartwarming, and positive, but a few are dark and tragic.

The editors hope that these stories remind readers, especially today's youth, that we deserve to have our place in the narrative of humankind.

The most important fact is that gays have been here since

Day One. To say otherwise is a gross denial and stupidity.

We played an enormous part in the history of America.

Larry Kramer, author, AIDS activist, champion of human rights