Editor’s Note: The following speech by the late Barbara Gittings appears as the preface to a new book published by Haworth Press, American Psychiatry and Homosexuality: An Oral History, a book of interviews edited by Jack Drescher and Joseph P. Merlino (“Preface: Show-and-Tell,” pp. xv–xx). The speech, which was delivered on the occasion of Gittings’ acceptance of the American Psychiatric Association’s Frier Award for her contribution to GLBT mental health (Oct. 7, 2006), seemed a perfect introduction to the theme of this issue. Barbara Gittings died early this year at the age of 74. Reprinted with permission.
