This volume of essays originated in but is not restricted to the proceedings of the ‘Gay Cultures in France’ conference held at the University of Stirling in April 1999. While the focus is clearly on French theory and experience, the first section of the volume transcends national borders, as do many elements of the subsequent chapters. The chapters examine various dimensions of the lives of gay men and women in contemporary France, both as subjects and objects of text (written, cinematic, and graphic), of political discourse, of social formations, and, in the era of AIDS, of medical and health-care institutions. The book is divided into three sections. The first provides theoretical overviews from intellectuals of international distinction: David Halperin and Christopher Robinson. The second section deals with social, political, and health-care issues of major significance to French gay men and women. The third, and longest, section, explores a range of textual inscriptions - from film, literature, theory, and bande dessinee - of lesbian and gay desire and experience.