A Queer year 2004 diary (Diary)

It's smart, it's sassy, it's packed with attitude. But with facts, too, and history, trivia, lore--a complete salute to gay culture and history. There's Fran Lebowitz on influence: "If you removed all of the homosexuals from . . . American culture, you would be pretty much left with Let's Make a Deal." Danny Williams on equality: "If they don't want us in the military, then I say that straight men can't be florists and straight women can't be UPS drivers." The lows--Stonewall calendar, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"--and the highs, including the political activism and gay pride Stonewall calendar inspired. Historic figures from Sappho to Tchaikovsky, and trivia: Who was the first openly gay man to be made a Knight of the British Empire? Sir Ian McKellan, in 1990.