 Gilman and Brown were partners for over 40 years until Gilman's death from lung cancer in 1989.Brown's sexual orientation and his relationship with Gilman were known to a few of his closest friends, and he served on the editorial board of "The Journal of Homosexuality" from 1985, but he did not come out publicly until 1989.Brown chronicled his personal life with Gilman and after Gilman's death in his memoir.