Maupin plans Vegas visit

Though he has written nine novels with gay themes and he's one of the most successful gay writers in the past 30 years, Armistead Maupin doesn't like the idea of a gay fiction genre.

"I always maintained I am writing about everyone for everyone," says the author, most known for his six-book series based in San Francisco, "Tales of the City." "I want to be considered literature and have the right to be at the front of the bookstore" with other literature.

No matter where his books are shelved, fans have no problem finding and devouring them. Maupin's novels are international best-sellers and have sold millions of copies since "Tales of the City" was first published in the 1970s. Some of the books also were made into three miniseries that aired on PBS and Showtime.

He will be at the Clark County Library Thursday to give a reading from his latest book, "Michael Tolliver Lives." The book features characters from the "Tales of the City" series.

He plans to continue the "Tales" series with a new book in a couple of years, "Mary Ann in Autumn." In addition, "Tales of the City" is being turned into a Broadway musical.

When Maupin began "Tales" as a serial for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1976, gay literature didn't really exist, he says during a recent phone interview. Now, there are writers who set their sights on breaking into an ever-expanding gay fiction genre, he notes.

Although he seeks a wider audience, he embraces the title of gay writer because that's what he is.

"I'm proud of what I've done in terms of political content. I don't mind being called a gay writer, I just want people to know it limits my scope. There are plenty of writers who are openly gay and thought to have something to offer to everyone," he says, mentioning David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs as two examples.

Maupin's books are linked with the gay rights movement, being among the first to deal with HIV and AIDS as the virus was starting to affect the gay community in the 1980s. He considers himself a political activist. The original PBS miniseries created a firestorm of controversy, including boycotts and protests.

"To declare yourself gay back in those days made you an activist," Maupin says. "I spent much of the '80s talking about AIDs because there was no one to talk about it."

His personal life and political activism mingled again last year when he married his partner, Christopher, in Canada. The couple plans to tie the knot again in California sometime this summer.

Gay people have been living as married couples for years, he says, and it's only fair that they be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples, including the right to marry.

"In arguing for gay marriage, I don't think everyone should get married. I don't think every straight person should get married," Maupin says.

As for the current political climate, Maupin is "very optimistic right now, truth be known. We might be in for a wonderful change in the climate, not so much global warming but human warming."

Maupin's reading will start at 7 p.m. in the library's main theater.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.