Perfect Enemies: The Religious Right, the Gay Movement, and the Politics of the 1990s

In Perfect Enemies, Chris Bull and John Gallagher trace the origins and growth of both groups from the seminal year 1969, when the Stonewall Riots ushered in the modern gay rights movement and when Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell embarked on direct political action to bring strict biblical interpretation to bear on public policy. The skillful grassroots organizational efforts of both movements, based on a mutual demonization of each side by the other, resulted in growing political clout that developed under the radar of mainsteam political commentators--and exploded upon the scene in a series of bitter and, to most Americans, bewildering political conflicts.

Bull and Gallagher offer the first comprehensive account of the rhetoric and strategies--often remarkably alike--of both sides, and of how the mutual passion of these perfect enemies is influencing electoral politics from the state houses to the White House.

Chris Bull is the former Washington correspondent for The Advocate, where he covered national politics. He currently is a freelance journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is the recipient of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association's 1994 honors for his coverage of gay youth suicide. Bull is also coauthor ofThe Accidental Activist: A Personal and Political Memoir with Candace Gingrich.


John Gallagher has been a national correspondent for The Advocate for the past five years, where his reporting on regional and national politics has received numerous awards. Previously, he was a reporter at Time magazine for seven years. He currently resides in New York City.