Didi Herman probes the values, beliefs, and rhetoric of the chief opponents of gay rights -- the organizations of the Christian Right. Tracing the emergence of their antigay agenda, Herman explores how and why the Christian Right made antigay activity a top priority, and how it both extends and departs from their past politics.

Combining the insights of sociology, legal studies, political science, history, and literary criticism, Herman explores the Christian Right's representations of male homosexuality and lesbianism. She illustrates the movement's ambivalence toward rights discourse on homosexuality, gender, and race. Finally, Herman shows how the Christian Right balances its anti-state rhetoric with its ambitions for religious rule by examining Colorado's statewide repeal of local gay rights legislation through Amendment 2.

Herman demonstrates that the Christian Right demonizes homosexuals as it has Jews and communists. But she avoids stereotyping its members as simply bigots and fundamentalists. Instead, she draws on extensive research, including interviews with leading conservative Christians, to depict a rational political movement torn apart by tensions and contradictions.