“I’m gay, and I love it!”

Dennis, an acutely sensitive pre-teen with a social-emotional learning disability, explores his sexual orientation during the ’60s when gays were deemed mentally ill.

Nestled in the cozy suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, timid young Dennis bears the weight of society’s pressure to fit into his parents’ American dream. He longs to satisfy his desire to kiss the boy of his dreams, but will violent bullying and sexual experimentation in his teens with his juvenile delinquent best friend take him down the wrong path?

Will his unexpected popularity in high school allow him to kick down the closet door?

When a devastating tragedy and unimaginable heartache test his ability to cope, can Dennis summon the fortitude to overcome his fears and find closure with loved ones he abandoned decades before?

To Know Him Is chronicles life in a changing America, the intricacies of growing up gay, and proves how healing from the most painful losses can take years of self-reflection. From his mother’s careless comments, to childhood strip poker with male friends, to the simple act of counting the seconds of how long a first kiss might last—Dennis’s story is a heart-filled roller coaster that aims to charm you, break you, and give you hope.