John Boswell was a historian, who studied the complex interaction between religion and homosexuality. He was born in Boston in 1947; attended the College of William and Mary, and Harvard University. In 1975 he joined the History department at Yale University as an assistant professor. He became full professor in 1982, and was chairperson of the department from 1990 to 1992. In 1987 he was instrumental in establishing the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale. He died of AIDS-related causes on December 25 1994. Honoring his contributions, the FLAGS (Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies) library at Yale bears his name. In 1980 he published a book on gay history, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, which won the American Book Award for History in 1981. A later book of at least similar relevance, Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, was published in 1994. Both books created quite a stir when they first saw light. A key element in Boswell work was his association with Yale University. Because of it, his results and interpretations underwent a rigorous peer-reviewed process; and upon publication, they received an important press coverage. The fact that he could advance his career, to the point of becoming chairman of the department, while pursuing his research in gay history, added credibility to his work. Most importantly, it helped to easily dismiss those detractors who were simply not able to get a similar job in an university of equal level. Gay people often have to endure the confrontational and empty rhetoric from those that choose to condemn us based on beliefs, myths and legends. Over the years, we've been an easy target by people, whose points of view attract a large media attention, and who nevertheless have a shallow and limited knowledge about homosexuality. One only needs to look at their resumes to find out that their formal education, if there is one, does not warrant an unbiased, fair and deeply-thought opinion. Boswell's accomplishment was to help setup the highest intellectual standards to study and discuss homosexuality. But perhaps, Boswell's greatest legacy is the intense debate that his research triggered, a much needed stage in the chain of events that led to the recent enactment of the Civil Unions Law by the state of Vermont. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality is published by The University of Chicago Press, Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe is published by Vintage books.