In the mid-seventies at an all-boys Catholic school in Melbourne, Timothy Conigrave fell wildly and sweetly in love with the captain of the football team. So began a relationship that was to last for fifteen years, a love affair that weathered disapproval, separation and, ultimately, death. With honesty and insight, Conigrave's memoir explores the highs and lows of any partnership: the intimacy, constraints and temptations. And the strength of heart both men had to find when they tested positive to HIV. As uplifting as it is moving, Holding the Man is a funny, sad and celebratory account of growing up gay, and a powerful love story.