An American poet, non-fiction author, and activist, he is most known for his numerous essays on the theme of homosexual relationships, as well as for his 1988 work, Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir. His later memoir, Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story (1992), won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. He studied writing at Yale University and subsequently accepted a teaching position at Milton Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. He later moved to West Hollywood, California.
