Find out why Tony Kushner quit cello and how Colm Toibin found his voice. Learn why Emma Donoghue calls her experience a fluke and the best advice Bill T. Jones got was from his mother. Discover how being an inaugural poet changed Richard Blanco's life and how Ugandan activist "LongJones" escaped death threats and gained asylum. Award-winning writer and longtime LGBTQ activist Kathleen Archambeau tells the untold stories from diverse voices around the corner or around the world. Not like the depressing, sinister, shadowy stories of the past, this book highlights queer people living open, happy, fulfilling and successful lives. Be inspired by the audacity to fight for justice that motivates National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Kate Kendell, a Mormon who grew up in Utah. Be emboldened by the bravery of a Uruguayan author who was rejected by her immediate family even as she began a family of her own. Learn how two couples transcend time and distance to finally be together and how one NBA sports executive summoned the courage to come out. Discover the message of love from the first openly lesbian United Methodist Church Bishop. Learn the secrets of successful OUT IBM executive based in London and the rewards of Ballroom Basix founder in Harlem. See how the Maori philosophy of whānau guided the MP who won marriage rights in New Zealand and how high expectations overcame disability and bullying for an acclaimed mezzo-soprano. Know how the Armenian Genocide and family tensions impacted a professional violinist and composer. From the transgender choreographer and dancer who continues to break rules and enlighten audiences to the Dutch singer, songwriter and independent theater producer who breaks down stereotypes. From the Russian emigre award-winning computer scientist to the Chinese folk dancer. From the founder of an award-winning smoking cessation program to the California Political Director of the Obama re-election campaign. Entrepreneurs and gay dads, ballroom dancers and Hungarian activists on neo-Nazi "hit lists." Pride and Joy: LGBTQ Artists, Icons and Everyday Heroes tells the stories of queer citizens of the world living OUT and proud happy, fulfilling, successful lives. Diverse and global. Famous and unsung. There is a story here for everyone who's ever questioned their sexual orientation or gender identity or discovered it. There's a window into the LGBTQ community for the straight friends, allies, parents and families of this finally emerging marginalized group. There's hope that, in the words of Dan Savage, "It Gets Better."