All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in America
Walters, Suzanna Danuta
ISBN 10: 0226872327 / ISBN 13: 9780226872322
Published by University of Chicago Press, 2003
Bibliographic Details
Title: All the Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility in...
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Paperback
Book Condition: Fair
About this title
Synopsis:
From the public outing of Ellen DeGeneres and the success of Will and Grace to the vicious murder of Matthew Shepard, recent years have seen gay
lives and images move onto the center stage of American public life. In this incisive and authoritative guide to the new gay visibility, Suzanna Danuta
Walters argues that we now live in a time when gays are seen, but not necessarily known. Taking on the common wisdom that equates visibility with full
integration, All the Rage maps the terrain on which gays are accepted as witty film accessories and sassy sitcom stars yet denied full citizenship.
Review:
Anyone watching the prime-time sitcom Will & Grace may feel that the first and most essential steps toward gay civil rights in America--visibility and
acceptance--have been achieved. Not so fast, says Georgetown University professor Suzanna Danuta Walters, whose readable, witty study tracks the
murky relationship between visibility and political progress. In her search for examples, Walters casts a wide net that brings up everything from the
hatemongering of Dr. Laura, to gay marriage initiatives, to gay-targeted Budweiser and IKEA ads. She focuses in particular on two pivotal events of the
1990s: the coming out of Ellen DeGeneres and the murder of Matthew Shepard, arguing that "these two events illustrate the confusing and often
incomprehensible tenor of the times. We rejoice at breaking down one barrier only to be faced, again, with the ugliness and brutality of another." You win
some, you lose some, in other words. While Walters's even-handedness means that her thesis doesn't exactly sizzle, readers will appreciate her thoughtful
optimism and the ways in which she brings her own life, and her experiences as a lesbian mom, into her larger argument. --Regina Marler
