The Tolerance Trap

From Glee

to gay marriage, from lesbian senators to out gay Marines, we have undoubtedly

experienced a seismic shift in attitudes about gays in American politics and

culture. Our reigning national story is

that a new era of rainbow acceptance is at hand. But dig a bit deeper, and this

seemingly brave new gay world is disappointing. For all of the undeniable changes,

the plea for tolerance has sabotaged the full integration of gays into American

life. Same-sex marriage is unrecognized and unpopular in the vast majority of

states, hate crimes proliferate, and even in the much vaunted “gay friendly”

world of Hollywood and celebrity culture, precious few stars are openly gay.



In The

Tolerance Trap, Suzanna Walters

takes on received wisdom about gay identities and gay rights, arguing that we

are not “almost there,” but on the

contrary have settled for a watered-down goal of tolerance and acceptance

rather than a robust claim to full civil rights. After all, we tolerate unpleasant realities: medicine

with strong side effects, a long commute, an annoying relative. Drawing on a

vast array of sources and sharing her own personal journey, Walters shows how

the low bar of tolerance demeans rather than ennobles both gays and straights

alike. Her fascinating examination covers the gains in political inclusion and

the persistence of anti-gay laws, the easy-out sexual freedom of queer youth

and the suicides and murders of those in decidedly intolerant environments. She

challenges both “born that way” storylines that root civil rights in biology,

and “god made me that way” arguments that similarly situate sexuality as innate

and impervious to decisions we make to shape it. A sharp and provocative cultural critique, this

book deftly argues that a too-soon declaration of victory short-circuits full

equality and deprives us all of the transformative possibilities of full

integration. Tolerance is not the end

goal, but a dead end. In The Tolerance

Trap, Walters presents a complicated snapshot of a world-shifting moment in

American history—one that is both a wake-up call and a call to arms for anyone

seeking true equality.