Gary Atkins. Atkins’ 2003 book “Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging” tells the story of gays in Seattle and Washington state, starting in 1893, when the Legislature made homosexuality a crime, and moves forward through 100 turbulent years. The activist groups, the personalities, the tragedies of the AIDS era. It documents the relentless forward motion that moved the state from a place where homosexuality was a crime to one of the most gay-friendly regions of the country.