{"product_id":"tolerance-trap","title":"Tolerance Trap","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom Glee\u003cbr\u003e\nto gay marriage, from lesbian senators to out gay Marines, we have undoubtedly\u003cbr\u003e\nexperienced a seismic shift in attitudes about gays in American politics and\u003cbr\u003e\nculture. Our reigning national story is\u003cbr\u003e\nthat a new era of rainbow acceptance is at hand. But dig a bit deeper, and this\u003cbr\u003e\nseemingly brave new gay world is disappointing. For all of the undeniable changes,\u003cbr\u003e\nthe plea for tolerance has sabotaged the full integration of gays into American\u003cbr\u003e\nlife. Same-sex marriage is unrecognized and unpopular in the vast majority of\u003cbr\u003e\nstates, hate crimes proliferate, and even in the much vaunted “gay friendly”\u003cbr\u003e\nworld of Hollywood and celebrity culture, precious few stars are openly gay.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn The\u003cbr\u003e\nTolerance Trap, Suzanna Walters\u003cbr\u003e\ntakes on received wisdom about gay identities and gay rights, arguing that we\u003cbr\u003e\nare not “almost there,” but on the\u003cbr\u003e\ncontrary have settled for a watered-down goal of tolerance and acceptance\u003cbr\u003e\nrather than a robust claim to full civil rights. After all, we tolerate unpleasant realities: medicine\u003cbr\u003e\nwith strong side effects, a long commute, an annoying relative. Drawing on a\u003cbr\u003e\nvast array of sources and sharing her own personal journey, Walters shows how\u003cbr\u003e\nthe low bar of tolerance demeans rather than ennobles both gays and straights\u003cbr\u003e\nalike. Her fascinating examination covers the gains in political inclusion and\u003cbr\u003e\nthe persistence of anti-gay laws, the easy-out sexual freedom of queer youth\u003cbr\u003e\nand the suicides and murders of those in decidedly intolerant environments. She\u003cbr\u003e\nchallenges both “born that way” storylines that root civil rights in biology,\u003cbr\u003e\nand “god made me that way” arguments that similarly situate sexuality as innate\u003cbr\u003e\nand impervious to decisions we make to shape it. A sharp and provocative cultural critique, this\u003cbr\u003e\nbook deftly argues that a too-soon declaration of victory short-circuits full\u003cbr\u003e\nequality and deprives us all of the transformative possibilities of full\u003cbr\u003e\nintegration. Tolerance is not the end\u003cbr\u003e\ngoal, but a dead end. In The Tolerance\u003cbr\u003e\nTrap, Walters presents a complicated snapshot of a world-shifting moment in\u003cbr\u003e\nAmerican history—one that is both a wake-up call and a call to arms for anyone\u003cbr\u003e\nseeking true equality.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"New York University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Product","offer_id":54221466763608,"sku":"9781479811939","price":27.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781479811939__676f758de65fc.jpg?v=1741159555","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/tolerance-trap","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}