“Originally, I was against gay marriage because I was opposed to all marriage, being an old-fashioned gay bohemian. The straight people I knew in the sixties were very much opposed to it. I was, too, and it was never a possibility for gays, but when I saw how opposed the Religious Right was to it, I thought it a fight worth fighting.”

American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and essayist

Edmund White was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. He was known as a pioneering figure in LGBTQ, especially gay, literature after the Stonewall riots. He wrote with unusual candor about gay identity, relationships, and sex, at a time when coming out could still be dangerous. His work is marked by intimacy and literary elegance. Among his best-known books are the semi-autobiographical trilogy A Boy's Own Story, The Beautiful Room Is Empty, and The Farewell Symphony, and he also co-authored The Joy of Gay Sex, which helped encourage a sex-positive conversation.