The Trip

At a swanky Los Angeles party, Tommy introduces himself to Alan and sparks fly. Tommy's openness and humor contrast with Alan's sexually repressed, conservative demeanor. The charged interaction hints at a powerful connection that will challenge both men.

Alan invites Tommy to his apartment for dinner to interview him for the book he's writing on homosexuality. Their conversation deepens their connection as they trade ideas and personal histories. The attraction between them grows even as they navigate Alan's internal conflicts.

They spend a wild night out, drinking and taking drugs. Back at Alan's apartment, they sleep in separate rooms until Alan joins Tommy in bed, claiming the couch is uncomfortable. In the morning, Tommy admits his feelings for Alan and says he can't see him again.

Deeply unsettled, Alan begins writing his book, which takes a critical stance toward gays. The manuscript attracts a two-book deal, and, pressured by his attorney Peter, he signs the contract. The professional path he chooses will complicate his personal life for years.

Moments after signing, Tommy returns to confront Alan about the phone calls, and Alan seizes the moment to kiss him. Their relationship blossoms into a four-year romance, despite its rocky start. The bond challenges both men to rethink their beliefs about love and identity.

By 1977, Anita Bryant leads the Save Our Children campaign in Florida, stoking national anti-gay sentiment. The political climate fuels hostility toward the gay rights movement and threatens Tommy's Out Loud group. The era's turbulence underscores the danger they face simply for being themselves.

Alan's publisher releases The Straight Truth, listing the author as Anonymous, against his wishes. The anonymous publication quickly becomes a hammer for homophobia and a weapon in the Christian Right's rhetoric. The book's appearance strains Alan's relationship with Tommy and with his own principles.

When the book's authorship is exposed, Tommy leaves Alan, feeling betrayed. Simultaneously, Alan is fired from his newspaper job as the identity drama unfolds. The couple's stability collapses under public scrutiny and professional ruin.

With nowhere to go and career prospects dim, Alan becomes the kept boyfriend of Peter, a closeted attorney who provides for him. The arrangement reflects the era's options for men who were both gay and navigating public life. Alan's personal freedoms are constrained by circumstance.

In 1984, Alan learns that Peter was the source of the leak and decides to leave to reunite with Tommy. The decision signals a renewed commitment to their relationship despite the years of estrangement. They plan a road trip they had always talked about.

The couple finally embarks on the long-awaited road trip, traveling across the United States. Tragedy shadows their journey as Tommy is ill from an undisclosed illness, implied to be AIDS. Their time together becomes a poignant, painful chapter in their story.

Back home, Alan fulfills his book contract by writing a second work about his coming out and his love affair with Tommy. The project marks a final public reckoning with a life lived in both passion and turmoil. The book is a personal chronicle of their relationship.

The Trip is published with a dedication to Tommy, memorializing their bond. The narrative serves as a testament to their love and the costs of living openly in a hostile era. The story closes with a sense of both heartbreak and enduring memory.