What is the main conflict in The Beautiful Room Is Empty by Edmund White?

This novel is the story of a young gay man's coming-of-age in 1950's and 60's America, and in particular of his struggles to both suppress his sexual orientation and establish his career as a writer. While vividly detailing the specific circumstances and manifestations of that struggle, the narrative's central thematic concerns are universal such as the coming of age, the search for self-identity in the face of powerful societal pressure to conform, and the experience of being an outsider.