McNeill played a part in widening the activities of DignityUSA, a support group for LGBT Catholics.

[5] The New York Times described the book as "the first extended nonjudgmental work about gay Catholics, a subject that had long been taboo in official church discourse.

It has been credited with helping to set in motion the re-evaluation of the religious stance toward gay people – not only among Catholics but also among those of other faiths – that continues today.

McNeill was expelled from the Society of Jesus in 1987 at the request of the Vatican, but remained officially a priest.

[5] McNeill was the subject of a 2011 documentary film, Taking a Chance on God, by director Brendan Fay.