The
Pleasure Principle by
Michael Bronski
"We are your worst fear," went one
1970s rallying cry among gay activists. "We are your best
fantasy." Michael Bronski runs with that paradoxical notion,
arguing that "straights" are correct to believe that
homosexuals represent a threat to the values of Western
civilization--and that's a good thing. What they fear (and
resent) most in homosexuality, Bronski argues, is the ability of
homosexuals to simply enjoy themselves, to take the pleasures of
sexuality without the cultural baggage of reproductive
responsibility and social conformity. Consequently, the
"unique position" of homosexuals "as sexual
outsiders endows them with an unparalleled vision for cultural and
social change."
Bronski deftly deals with a dizzying array of
post-WWII American history and culture, from the battles between
homophile assimilationists and gay liberationists to the media
controversy surrounding Pee-Wee Herman's arrest and the rise of
lesbian chic. He makes a strong case both for the vitality of gay
culture (including sexuality) and the necessity of explicitly
recognizing the contributions that it has made and continues to
make to mainstream culture. "Only when those in the dominant
culture realize that they are better off acting like gay
people," Bronski writes, "will the world change and be a
better, safer, and more pleasurable place for everyone." --Ron
Hogan
Taking
Liberties : Gay Men's Essays on Politics, Culture, and Sex
by
Michael Bronski
(Editor)
Taking Liberties brings together some of
the most divergent views published in recent years on the state of
contemporary gay male culture. Michael Bronski, himself a widely
published and respected gay cultural critic, here presents some of
the community's foremost essayists, who weigh in on such slippery
topics as outing, masculine identity, pornography, the pedophile
movement, community definition, political strategy and much more.
By steadfastly shunning easy answers, Taking Liberties
testifies to the intellectual vitality of a community that is
stronger and more seriously challenged than ever before.
Contributors include: Bill Andriette, Allen
Barnett, Bruce Bawer, Ron Caldwell, Larry Chua, Jesse Green, Larry
Gross, Craig G. Harris, Craig Hickman, Christopher J. Hogan, Tony
Kushner, Michael Lassell, Michael Lowenthal, Vestal McIntyre,
Lawrence Mass, Rondo Mieczkowski, Mitzel, John Preston, Charlie
Shively, Andrew Sullivan, Scott Tucker, John Weir, Reed Woodhouse.
About the Author
Michael Bronski is the author of Culture
Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility, as well as the
editor of Flashpoint:
Gay Male Sexual Writing. He has written extensively on
film, books, theater, sex, AIDS, and gay male culture for The
Los Angeles Times, Fag Rag, The Village Voice, Gay Community News,
Cineaste, The Boston Globe, Radical America, Z Magazine, and
numerous anthologies.
