"I am not a creature from the outer darkness! I am a homosexual, a man of flesh and blood. And, I have a few things to say..." This is the frank and revealing portrait of a man, the Reverend Troy Perry, pastor and founder of a church, lover of God--and a homosexual. It is a searching account of the plight of homosexuals in a world that scorned, condemned and harassed them while no one dared to cry out in protest--till now! On the heels of nationwide publicity accorded in 1968 to the world's first church to welcome homosexuals, the Metropolitan Community Church of Hollywood, California, Reverend Troy Perry presented this touchingly human autobiography of a young preacher who knew what it was to live life as an outcast. Born in Florida, the eldest of five sons, Perry discovered he was "different" in his early teens. The intensity with which he felt the presence of God in his life came to fruition when his aunt, pastor of a Pentecostal church, had a revelation that God had "laid his hands upon" Troy. From the age of 13 on, the young boy would preach of the Lord. But he was destined to travel a long, hard road of despair and torment. He was "different" in more ways than one. Troy's attempt at leading a straight life by marrying and having children ended in near disaster and an attempt at suicide. Not until he was able to accept who and what he was, and turned to a quest for self-respect and spiritual fulfillment, did he begin to find inner peace and contentment. This is, first and foremost, a biography of a courageous man. But, because of his very nature, it is also a semi-sociological study of life in a world saddled with archaic sex laws. Was homosexuality a legitimate way of life? Were the tales people had heard about "gay" men and women actualities or myths? Perry pulled no punches. His revelations were sometimes shocking. He made no attempt to milk the reader for sympathy. He merely "tells it like it is" in simple, unpretentious, and honest language. "l am a human being first, who believes that sexual orientation should be no more important as a standard for judging a person than knowing how one makes a living or combs his hair."--Adapted from jacket.