Many are familiar with the tremendous life achievements of Jose Sarria, an integral player in the gay rights movement, but never before have the intimate details of his incredible life been portrayed as they are here. In The Empress Is a Man: Stories from the Life of Jose Sarria, Michael Gorman exposes Sarria's life in a frank manner and with a unique storytelling ability that simultaneously cause amusement and sadness. Sarria's amazing life story tells of his perseverance to advance the cause of equality for gay citizens.

At a time when gays were arrested, institutionalized, and castrated,...