Sometimes statistics tell a story: between 1.5 and 2.9 million American women have been married to a man who has had sex with another man (Edward Laumann, Ph.D., University of Chicago); in at least 2 million marriages, a spouse has revealed being gay, lesbian or bisexual. (Anne Buxon, founder of Straight Spouses Network).
What is the story behind these statistics? Despite how far society has come in accepting members of the LGBT community, many people are still living in the “closet,” afraid to come out due to family, social or religious expectations. But what happens when their secrets are exposed?
Square Affair by Timmothy J. Holt, M.D. is a timely and emotionally charged addition to the historical fiction market, which chronicles the lives of five men in the 1960’s who are arrested for public indecency when accused of having sex in a courthouse restroom. Set in the small Midwestern town of Dewers, Illinois, the incident takes the community on a journey through good and evil that will forever alter it – and the lives of the accused and their families.
Square Affair gives readers historical insight into the stigma that surrounded being a gay man in the 1960’s and reminds us that the battle for civil rights is far from over. It digs deep, exposing motivation, guilt, human cost and relief caused by homosexual affairs.
Square Affair:
• Confronts the issue of gay men in heterosexual marriages
• Explains the fears and motivations behind public sex
• Highlights the challenges faced by homosexuals during the 1960s
• Reminds us homosexuality affects more than the homosexual
“When I came out in 1984,” recalls Dr. Holt, “I thought no one else knew I was gay. I was wrong. They knew and accepted me. Once my family and friends got an inside look into the gay community, they found us to be people just like them – enjoying life and making loving connections.”
About the Author:
Timmothy J. Holt, M.D. is a retired geriatric physician who worked extensively in the development and management of programs for older individuals and those with chronic disease. While living in New Orleans, he was President of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center and the grand marshall for the Gay Easter Parade. His creative work has appeared or is forthcoming in A&U, The Diverse Arts Project, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Grey Sparrow, Reed Magazine, RiverSedge, The Storyteller, and Wild Violet and has been selected for inclusion in anthologies from Black Lawrence Press and TallGrass Writer’s Guild. Holt’s collection of poetry, Dust, is available through Amazon and Kindle.
His poem, Sweep It Under The Rug, won an honorable mention in the 2014 Poem or Page Contest at the Writers’ Institute of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His collection on poetry on AIDS is a finalist in the Able Muse poetry book award. He is a long survivor of AIDS and lives with his partner and their cat and dog in Chicago, IL.
Learn more about Holt at www.timmholt.com and connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Goodreads.
Square Affair is available at select Barnes and Noble stores, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, Target Stores and Hudson Booksellers in airports across the country.
