Jack Castiglione

The Chartreuse Garden Jack Castiglione

Barack Obama wrote to Castiglione: "Jack...you stand up in defense of the notion that love is love and that all of us...are worthy of equal dignity, equal respect, and equal protection under the law.... Michelle and I will continue standing alongside you."

Brutal assaults of gay men. Shocking murders. Extreme child abuse and bullying. Police prejudice that leads to total disregard and inaction. A broken mental health system. Unwittingly, Castiglione finds himself mired in the ugliness of it all. But rather than hide away within the safety of his closet, this intelligent, gentle man boldly confronts perpetrators of hate crimes and the unscrupulous practices of the police department to evolve into a gay hero in his community.

It started with Roy, an impoverished little boy who begged Castiglione to protect him against those who beat him. "I will always be there for you, Roy," Castiglione promised his adoring, innocent buddy. He never believed Roy was in actual danger, nor anticipated the shocking events that followed.

We follow Castiglione's personal journey as he acknowledges his homosexuality to himself and eventually to the world. We fear the dangers he faces as a gay man, and cheer him on as he bravely confronts them and develops a successful, systematic approach to stopping hate crimes that virtually eliminated gay bashing in his community of Long Beach, California. His system is detailed in this book for the benefit of LGBT communities everywhere.