The emergence of the gay and lesbian community in the last quarter century has confronted America with what has become the new civil rights movement of the nineties, as millions of gay people assert their right to live as decent American citizens without the fear of persecution and discrimination.

Since 1967 - two years before the Stonewall Riots, usually seen as the beginning of gay liberation - The Advocate has been the nations publication of record for the gay community. From its humble beginnings as a newsletter covering Southern California's homosexual subculture to its prominence today as a newsmagazine read around the world, The Advocate has mirrored the astonishing growth of the community it's served.

Now the remarkable history of the modern gay and lesbian movement - a quarter century of rebellion and reform, tragedy and triumph - fills the hundreds of pages of news, photographs, essays, cartoons, and interviews culled from The Advocate.

From first-person accounts of the Stonewall Riots to the tragic last day of Harvey Milk's life, from the crisis of AIDS to the controversy over outing, the milestones of the movement are presented as they happened, along with accounts of the lighter side of gay life, from disco divas to the politics of drag.

Each year is introduced by a distinguished gay or lesbian historian or movement leader. Martin Duberman, Lillian Faderman, Allan Berube, Felice Picano, Urvashi Vaid, Joan Nestle, John Preston, Torie Osborn, and Randy Shilts are among those interpreting this revolutionary movement that has affected millions of people across the world.