A clear-eyed look at hitherto unnoticed ethical patterns in gay men's lives, this book explores a wide variety of social and ethical experiments and their implications for both gay men and society at large. Nimmons looks at seven hidden patterns of behavior, widely practiced by gay men but rarely acknowledged: nonviolent public culture, altruism and care-taking, service and volunteerism, communal intimacies, erotic celebration, friendship with women, and sexual play.