Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right

by Neil J. Young

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226818054
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	04/03/2024
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	192,941
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Neil J. Young is a writer and the author of We Gather Together: The Religious Right and the Problem of Interfaith Politics. His work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, TheAtlantic, and Los Angeles Times, and he co-hosts the history podcast Past Present. He lives in Los Angeles.

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

Editorial Reviews

Does a movement for liberation benefit from the inclusion of conservatives, or sabotage itself in the long term? Could lifestyle libertarians ever sit comfortably in coalition with Christian conservatives? And what's the deal with Milo Yiannopoulos, anyway? This elegantly composed and richly thorough study raises these thought-provoking questions and many more, on the way to making a genuinely fresh contribution to American political history."

author of Reaganland: America's Right Turn 19 Rick Perlstein

In this deeply researched and deftly written history, Young offers a nuanced account of the politics and personalities of LGBTQ Republicans. Coming Out Republican is an absolute must-read.

Princeton University Kevin M. Kruse

"In the fractious political atmosphere we have now, it’s essential to understand how gay conservatives have influenced politics through the decades. Find this book before November. It may be one of the most eye-opening books you’ll read."

Washington Blade

"A fascinating book....[Young's] book is the landmark account of this group, and it’s a much needed, richly told edition to not only the history of the right in America, but to LGBTQ history in general."

Slate "Outward" Podcast

"Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right explains why queer conservatives are not anomalous. . . . Young's book convincingly establishes that the seemingly incongruous identity has shaped U.S. politics for the better part of the last century. Through a compelling composite portrait, Young makes gay Republicans legible as active architects of both a particular kind of queerness and a version of political conservatism."

US Religion

Coming Out Republican is an incredible achievement: an astonishing work of history that makes a deeply compelling argument for the ways in which ‘gay Republicans’ have wielded power to serve white male interests. If you’ve ever wondered why, or how, a gay person could be a Republican—this book has the complicated answers.

author of Can’t Even: How Millennials Be Anne Helen Petersen

You can’t understand either the modern history of the Republican Party or the emergence of the gay rights movement without appreciating how they have played off one another for nearly a half century. Young has written a fascinating account of gay Republicans, an underrecognized force who have shaped both their party and LGBT politics.

author of The Engagement: America’s Quar Sasha Issenberg

Young’s nuanced history shows that gay Republicans, far from being monolithic, have included scoundrels and hypocrites, but also American heroes; kooks and fanatics, but also complex thinkers whose ideas have brought LGBTQ people closer to equality. Coming Out Republican is a wonderfully compelling read.

author of The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Lillian Faderman

Coming Out Republican is a meticulously researched and enthralling history of LGBTQ people on the political right in America. This sensitive and lucidly written account offers fascinating perspective on the ideological diversity of gay Republicans, the variety of political strategies they deployed in venues ranging from local organizations to the halls of Congress, and the successes, disappointments, and rationalizations that they experienced as the GOP veered between partial acceptance and backlash.

Geoffrey Kabaservice

Excellent. . . . Anyone could benefit from reading this book."

Washington Post