Beyond the Beaded Curtain

What gay male can ever forget his first full-blown sexual experience, which can be a particularly memorable first time given the conventions of society? It can be the culmination of long-held frustration, or it can be casual and come as a complete surprise. It can be traumatic, or it can have been sought. It can be imprisoning or releasing, disappointing or far beyond the wildest dream. It can be prearranged or ritualistic, or it can be spontaneous and unexpected by both parties. The experience can be instigated by a predator, a new lover, or a savior, or it can have been initiated by the first timer himself. The situation and venue can be sordid; or off-the-cuff convenient; or involve silken sheets, candles, champagne, and prolonged seduction and foreplay. But for most men, the one thing it cannot be is forgotten.

This anthology provides a treasure trove of thirty-six short stories of separate, varied “first time” gay male experiences, from the stalked to long anticipated, from the romantic to the brutal, for the young or not so young. The one central theme of all of these stories, however, is that the experiences depicted all result in the beginning of a new lifestyle, not the ending of a world.

This is an expanded relaunch of the eXcessica habu anthology, Across the Threshold.