After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear & Hatred of Gays in the 90s

"The gay revolution has failed," proclaims the first sentence of this punchy call to arms, Madison Avenue-style. To overcome Americans' deep-rooted aversion to gay men and women, psychologist Kirk and ad man Madsen propose a massive media campaign designed to correct stereotypes and neutralize anti-gay prejudice. The provocative sample ads included here (together with analyses of their potential impacts) effectively challenge popular assumptions about homosexuality. The authors encourage gays to "come out of the closet," and they outline a code of gay ethics calling for mature love relationships and greater moderation in sex. Full of fresh ideas, their book is aimed at straight and gay readers, with chapters that debunk "folk theories" on the supposed roots of homosexuality in mental illness, gender confusion or dislike of the opposite sex.