Faggots (novel)
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Faggots is a novel by Larry Kramer, published in 1978. It is a highly satirical portrayal of New York's most visible gay community at the time.The main character is Fred Lemish. Locales include Fire Island, a gay bathhouse called the "Everhard," and a club called the Toilet Bowl. Although the book's influence has been strong over the years, many have criticized Kramer for his alleged negativity about his subject matter, with particular emphasis that Faggots is "sex-negative." The nature of 1970's gay culture of nameless sex and recreational drugs is shown in great detail in a time before AIDS.
Kramer shows the extreme lifestyle of 1970s "fast lane" gay men and explores the empty and cold nature of glory holes, bathhouses, BDSM and group sex. Kramer also expresses his discomfort with the use of multiple street and prescription drugs that helped to maintain the party atmosphere. Faggots details the use of over two dozen 1970s party drugs and intoxicants (many now illegal and unavailable because of government action), such as Seconal, poppers, LSD, Quaaludes, alcohol, marijuana, Valium, PCP, cocaine and heroin.
Kramer was somewhat redeemed in the gay community after the AIDS crisis when it was discovered that the high risk behavior exposed in Faggots could potentially increase the chance of contracting HIV.
