The Attack Queers: Liberal Society and the Gay Right

Rating:
Summary: Yawn....
Review: If you wanted to conpare this book to a feature in the Goldstein-edited Village Voice, it would have to be Michael Musto's gossip column rather than the more thoughful social/political analysis of people like Nat Hentoff.

Sadly, there's a lot of bitchy personal attacks and parlour psychologising (which will guarantee plenty of attention in the gay press), but little serious engagement with ideas. The only "attack queer"on offer in this book is Goldstein himself.

This is another volume for people looking to have their existing prejudices confirmed, but it adds nothing to rational debate.

Rating:
Summary: Uninvited and Welcome
Review: In The Attack Queers, Richard Goldstein focuses on the careers of Andrew Sullivan and Camille Paglia and their outspoken revulsion against queernesses different from their own. He juxtaposes their call for normalcy and assimilation against the history of punks and radicals like Harry Hay and the drag queens of Stonewall. Overall I found it to be an affirming, enjoyable book.

I was, however, disappointed that Goldstein's argument focused mostly on the so-called "homocons' " (homosexual conservatives) appearance and character, and didn't delve into the details of their arguments, as I'm used to seeing in academic writing. There was no bibliography. His criticism often felt ad hominem. I was also disappointed that more public intellectuals were not mentioned. Paglia and Sullivan may be representative of a movement, but they do not constitute a movement. And if Paglia and Sullivan have not been willing to engage in intellectual debate, surely there are other "homocons" who do so, and who could have provided useful feedback on Goldstein's thesis.

Nevertheless, the Attack Queers is still a welcome book that validated my feelings about the rhetoric of Sullivan and Vincent. He gave a couple nods to the transgendered community and suggested the relevance of his arguments to trans people, as in: "Trans activists have been saying all along that the way we have sex isn't the real reason we're oppressed; it's the way we present gender." Goldstein's baton-twirling of homo slang terms was savvy and entertaining. I appreciated his reasons for rejecting the comparison between gays and blacks in favor of the comparison between gays and Jews--he says, for example, that Jews have also faced the choice to blend in and gain privilege at the risk of losing everything that makes them unique. (For the Jewish reader, there's a few jokes thrown in just for you: e.g. the homocons' defense of machismo assures gay men that "they can be part of the 'guyim' if they repudiate their 'homokeit.'")

This book has once again caused me to question the usefulness of dichotomizing, as Goldstein does, between queers who want to blend into the norm and fit gender stereotypes, and queers who want to openly challenge the norm. I think we are each radical and conservative in different ways and at different stages in our lives. I also question the usefulness of focusing narrowly on homosexuals when there are, as Goldstein acknowledges, heterosexuals who consider themselves queer. In any case, whatever your political leaning, this book will provoke a reaction, and hopefully inspire thought.

Rating:
Summary: Critical reading for all concerned about fairness
Review: Initally appearing to defy all odds, GLBT conservatives have become the media darlings of the 21st century precisley because the far right can use them as 'cover' for their own bias and hatred.

What little mobility and 'freedom' these talking heads exist is only allowed under the precise circumstances dictated by their homophobic 'handlers' (although given the authoritarian pull of the right, 'owners'--and all of the resulting connotations---might be a better descriptor term) thus making their attacks a misdirected outburst of frustration and stress.

Like the female anti-feminists of the 1970's, they secretly realize their 'crazy liberal' counterparts are infact completely correct with assessment of existing social structure, but are honestly torn between publicly vocalizing this click and the realization they REALLY will not be able to claim membership in the status quo upon this afformentioned disclosure.

For years, I used to feel sorry for conservative 'out group' members, whom I tended to write off as confused or dim, but now I really feel for them having learned just how vunerable and frightened they actually are. This empathy remains tempered by realization their unchecked version of 'good' public policy is a world nobody should live in.

Rating:
Summary: A great send-up of the hypocritical gay right
Review: This book is a must-read by anyone concerned with the direction of the gay equal rights movement. Goldstein uses this book to take to task the small number of right-wing gay and lesbian "public intellectuals" who are given a platform far out of proportion to their numbers (after all, a solid 75% of gay men and lesbians have liberal political inclinations and vote Democratic or Green)

The usual subjects are roasted -- the pustulant Andrew Sullivan, shrill Norah Vincent, clueless Tammy Bruce, George Bush apologist Rich Taefel and stuffy Bruce Bawer...but this book is more then shooting fish in a barrel. Goldstein also analyzes the reason that the "powers that be" have given these conservative gays louspeakers to bleat out their criticism of liberal politics -- which ironically are the only politics which coupld have advanced equality and social acceptance to the point where conservative gays can even speak out!

If you have any interest in gay politics or progressive issues in America, this book is a must-read.