Shelley describes her childhood during the McCarthy era and subsequent civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and her struggles coming out as a lesbian at a time when being gay made her a criminal.

She rose to become a public speaker for the Daughters of Bilitis, organized the first gay march in response to Stonewall, and then cofounded the Gay Liberation Front. She coproduced the newspaper Come Out!, worked on the women's takeover of Rat newspaper, and took a central role in the Lavender Menace action.

Martha Shelley's story is a feminist and lesbian document that gives context and adds necessary humanity to the historical record.