Coming Out Republican
A History of the Gay Right
9780226818054
9780226818061
Coming Out Republican
A History of the Gay Right
Publication supported by the Meijer Foundation Fund
A revelatory and comprehensive history of the gay Right from incisive political commentator Neil J. Young.
One of the most maligned, misunderstood, and even mocked constituencies in American politics, gay Republicans regularly face condemnation from both the LGBTQ+ community and their own political party. Yet they’ve been active and influential for decades. Gay conservatives were instrumental, for example, in ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and securing the legalization of same-sex marriage—but they also helped lay the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump.
In Coming Out Republican, political historian and commentator Neil J. Young provides the first comprehensive history of the gay Right. From the 1950s up to the present day, Young excavates the multifarious origins, motivations, and evolutions of LGBTQ+ people who found their way to the institutions and networks of modern conservatism. Many on the gay Right have championed conservative values—like free markets, a strong national defense, and individual liberty—and believed that the Republican Party therefore offered LGBTQ+ people the best pathway to freedom. Meanwhile, that same party has actively and repeatedly demonized them. With his precise and provocative voice, Young details the complicated dynamics of being in—and yet never fully accepted into—the Republican Party.
Coming Out Republican provides striking insight into who LGBTQ+ conservatives are, what they want, and why many of them continue to align with a party whose rank and file largely seem to hate them. As the Republican Party renews its assaults on LGBTQ+ rights, understanding the significant history of the gay Right has never been more critical.
One of the most maligned, misunderstood, and even mocked constituencies in American politics, gay Republicans regularly face condemnation from both the LGBTQ+ community and their own political party. Yet they’ve been active and influential for decades. Gay conservatives were instrumental, for example, in ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and securing the legalization of same-sex marriage—but they also helped lay the groundwork for the rise of Donald Trump.
In Coming Out Republican, political historian and commentator Neil J. Young provides the first comprehensive history of the gay Right. From the 1950s up to the present day, Young excavates the multifarious origins, motivations, and evolutions of LGBTQ+ people who found their way to the institutions and networks of modern conservatism. Many on the gay Right have championed conservative values—like free markets, a strong national defense, and individual liberty—and believed that the Republican Party therefore offered LGBTQ+ people the best pathway to freedom. Meanwhile, that same party has actively and repeatedly demonized them. With his precise and provocative voice, Young details the complicated dynamics of being in—and yet never fully accepted into—the Republican Party.
Coming Out Republican provides striking insight into who LGBTQ+ conservatives are, what they want, and why many of them continue to align with a party whose rank and file largely seem to hate them. As the Republican Party renews its assaults on LGBTQ+ rights, understanding the significant history of the gay Right has never been more critical.
400 pages | 15 halftones | 6 x 9 | © 2024
History: American History
Political Science: American Government and Politics
Reviews
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Double Life
2. The Closeted Architects of Modern Conservatism
3. A Place at the Table
4. For God and Country
5. Concerned Republicans for Individual Rights
6. Homosexual Congress
7. Gay for the Gipper
8. As California Goes . . .
9. My Body, My Choice
10. Gay Family Values
11. Are You a Gay Republican or a Republican Gay?
12. Homocons
13. The Real David Brock
14. The Conservative Case for Same-Sex Marriage
15. Defending Marriage, Defending the Constitution
16. GOProud
17. Trolling for Trump
18. Gay Republican Pride
19. Make America Gay Again
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
List of Archives and Collections Cited
Notes
Index
1. The Double Life
2. The Closeted Architects of Modern Conservatism
3. A Place at the Table
4. For God and Country
5. Concerned Republicans for Individual Rights
6. Homosexual Congress
7. Gay for the Gipper
8. As California Goes . . .
9. My Body, My Choice
10. Gay Family Values
11. Are You a Gay Republican or a Republican Gay?
12. Homocons
13. The Real David Brock
14. The Conservative Case for Same-Sex Marriage
15. Defending Marriage, Defending the Constitution
16. GOProud
17. Trolling for Trump
18. Gay Republican Pride
19. Make America Gay Again
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
List of Archives and Collections Cited
Notes
Index
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