Perfect Enemies: The Religious Right, the Gay Movement and the Politics of the 1990s

With the replacement of abortion as the central theme of the religious right, the gay-rights issue is assured of playing a large part in determining the outcomes of elections in the next decade and beyond. How did this happen and what does it mean for American politics?From President Clinton's aborted pledge to lift the ban on gays and lesbians in military service to statewide anti-gay initiatives in Oregon, Colorado, and other states, questions about gay rights and family values are among the most incendiary in American politics today. In Perfect Enemies, two longtime reporters for The Advocate offer the first comprehensive account of the rhetoric and strategies of the leading activists and lobbyists on both sides of the issue. Beneath the opposing aims of the religious right and the gay-rights activists, the authors find a surprising similarity of means -- and an ardent determination that will influence electoral politics at every level for years to come.