When Rechy's City of Night first appeared in 1963, it was greeted with fanfare and horror. The unapologetically sexual story of a gay hustler shocked readers with its frank treatment of a subject most chose to pretend did not exist. More shocking was Rechy's revelation that the book was largely autobiographical. For a street hustler to reach widespread literary acclaim was unheard-of, especially if he was gay. Rechy continued to publish explosive...