I picked this book up while at a small, independent bookstore and have regretted that decision ever since. Yes, this book is so bad the experience of reading it outweighed any warm fuzzy feelings of shopping local and small. Where do I even start? The premise of this book is interviews with successful LGBTQ+ figures about their rise to success and how being queer may have been an advantage. I do appreciate the fresh view of queerness as a personal benefit rather than a hinderance or obstacle. Unfortunately, this is not what this book offered. The author, a white, cis, upper-middle-class, gay, man, who rose through the ranks of fashion and entertainment through “hard work” (and endless personal connections and what I assume was family money), interviews big names mainly from those industries about their success. Forgive my crudeness but I struggle to describe this book as anything other than a neo-liberal circle jerk. With very few exceptions this book reads like the queer guide to bootstrapping and trickle down economics. Every single person asserts they got where they are by their own hard work alone. Nearly every person points to their queer identity and their work ethic as their only advantage in life. The main theme that really binds these interviews together is rich, immediately accepting parents. Liberal has become a dirty word among socialists and progressive leftists and this book will show you why. If you’re not an avid fan of People, Us Weekly, or TMZ, let me save you a read, the queer advantage is wining the birth lottery of having rich parents.