cover image Gay Agenda

Gay Agenda

Jack Nichols. Prometheus Books, $34 (228pp) ISBN 978-1-57392-103-9

There are good ideas, theories and propositions hidden in activist Nichols's rebuttal of Christian fundamentalist anti-gay tirades. Unfortunately, the author, co-founder of the Mattachine Society, has chosen to answer his opponents in kind. His prose is shrill and overlaid with superlatives for his friends, and generalized excoriations for his enemies. Though the tract starts off sensibly with the basics (pointing out that not all gays are politically radical, etc.), it quickly descends to the level of diatribe. By the end of the book, Nichols, having dealt with the fundamentalists to his apparent satisfaction, launches an attack on religion in general, a battle he seems ill-equipped to wage. His lazy logic, careless language and reliance on only selective data suggest that his arguments will have approximately the same effect as the sermons he sets out to take down: some will find much to agree with; others will find his rhetoric insubstantial. 25,000 first printing; $25,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Oct.)