It's Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, and Winning True Equality

by Michelangelo Signorile

From the author of the groundbreaking bestseller Queer in America , a myth-shattering look at the present and future of gay rights

Marriage equality has surged across the country. Closet doors have burst open in business, entertainment, and even major league sports. But as longtime advocate Michelangelo Signorile argues in his most provocative book yet, the excitement of such breathless change makes this moment more dangerous than ever. Puncturing the illusion that victory is now inevitable, Signorile marshals stinging evidence that an age-old hatred, homophobia, is still a basic fact of American life. He exposes the bigotry of the brewing religious conservative backlash against LGBT rights and challenges the complacency and hypocrisy of supposed allies in Washington, the media, and Hollywood.

Not just a wake-up call, It's Not Over is also a battle plan for the fights to come in the march toward equality. Signorile tells the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans who have refused to be merely tolerated, or worse, and are demanding full acceptance. And he documents signs of hope in schools and communities finding new ways to combat ignorance, bullying, and fear. Urgent and empowering, It's Not Over is a necessary book from one of our most electrifying voices.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, LGBT, History, Activism, Gay, Audiobook

259 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2015

About the author

I'm a long-time journalist, author and activist and have worked for many publications. Currently, I host "The Michelangelo Signorile Show," on SiriusXM Progress 127, focusing on news, politics and culture. I am Editor at Large of Huffington Post Gay Voices, where I write on LGBT political and cultural issues.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring, powerful battle cry at a perilous moment in the history of LGBT civil rights.

UPDATE: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, on June 26, 2015, in favor of nationwide same-sex marriage, but the fight for LGBT rights is not even close to being over.

If you're straight, you probably think, because of newly won LGBT marriage equality, that bigotry and discrimination against LGBT people is at an end and they have reached full tolerance, if not outright equality, in society today.

If you're gay, you probably think it's finally safe to come out, to be yourself, and you will not be blocked from achieving whatever goals in life you set.

Either way, you are wrong. And the younger you are, the more likely you are to be fooled. Why? There already are laws protecting everyone, right? You, more than the older generations, expect that every single person should be treated equally—not just tolerated—and certainly not abused for who they are. You simply can't accept that in the U.S. in 2015 there would still be bigoted, viscous, and deadly discrimination of any kind toward any person.

Well, Michelangelo Signorile certainly knows the real truth, that these feelings of victory and achieved equality are completely false. The LGBT community is dangerously complacent in thinking that full equality, if not quite here yet, will automatically occur in a few short years. He forcefully proves, with clear analysis from plentiful evidence that It's not over!

"Homophobia hasn't simply persisted, it has become more public and more violent in response to the increased visibility of gay and transgender people that wins such as marriage equality have brought."

As of April, the year 2015 has already seen a record number of LGBT homicides. That alone belies the "victory story." There is plenty of fighting left to do, both offensively to claim what is ours by right, and defensively to protect what we have already won. Signorile builds his case around seven general ideas, all of which become inspiring marching orders at the end of the book. His evidence is drawn from social media, news reports, his decades-long record of social activism and book writing, and keenly from his own SiriusXM radio show, which he has hosted for nearly twelve years. His analysis is referenced with numerous notes, and the book includes an index, both much appreciated.

He convincingly argues that Republicans and the Religious Right have changed their political strategies after their loss at the Supreme Court, which struck down most of the elements of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. Realizing that the majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage, instead of harboring blatant bigotry, they have transformed the fight into one of "religious freedom," turning themselves into the victims whose rights to discriminate are being denied. Angered by legal losses, and disingenuously incensed by their new "victim" status, they have begun the backlash. Signorile warns LGBT people of the danger, drawing parallels with the civl rights movement of the 1960s, and the later feminist and abortion rights movements, to show how this has happened before from conservatives. In all cases, the backlash damaged progress and led to an unending series of discriminatory legislation and lawsuits.

Of course, anyone with the capacity to think shouldn't be fooled by the latest conservative response: the true victims remain the LGBT people who are denied service, verbally abused, beaten, and killed, all due to hate, or because the Bible says so. Although Signorile stops short of claiming that Republicans won't think rationally, that conclusion is inescapable.

"It is a cruel irony that, in winning marriage equality and becoming more visible in countless other ways, LGBT people have exposed ourselves more than ever before to a violent strain of bigotry that was always present and has now found its object."

It's Not Over is a remarkable book in several ways. Concisely written, it's easy to follow. There is nowhere a bit of dry writing. It flows unstoppably to its inspiring ending. With unembarrassed passion, Signorile makes us feel he is with us together in the fight for equality, which of course he is.

There is also a surprising aspect of the book: its ability to predict the future! Without spoiling the fun too much, he presciently calls out likely gay Illinois Republican representative Aaron Schock for perpetuating the "glass closet" and for abusing his expense privileges. The suggestion is that he wouldn't survive long if equal media scrutiny were given him, as it would be to a definitively straight man. Shortly after the book went to press, Schock was consumed in the media by the "Downton Abbey" office redecorating scandal and resigned.

Much more seriously, Signorile predicts one form the anti-gay backlash will take: so-called "religious freedom" bills legalizing conscience-based LGBT discrimination (as well as any other minority group). As his book was being stocked in bookstores in late March, 2015, these very bills were passed in Indiana, and a few days later in Arkansas. Also as he predicted, the resulting media storm was quick and fierce: both bills were quickly, and questionably, amended. Signorile warns that such bills will be "trial balloons," any victory will be short-lived, and, learning from their mistakes, further discriminatory legislation will be carefully crafted to appease the religious conservatives, while somehow ameliorating the media criticism.

"[T]he fact remains that it is the fight itself, standing up against the hate because we dare to demand equality, that changes the culture and brings people to the cause."

Signorile shows that we've gone just about as far as we can go using traditional legislative techniques of incremental progress. The marriage equality issue is both the culmination of such incrementalism and also the rise of a new more modern version of grassroots activism using social media. There will be an intense, dangerous backlash to LGBT equality which we must be prepared to fight. We must go big, toward the large, final goals. It's Not Over proves this, and shows us the clear way forward.

"If being ourselves makes some people uncomfortable, so be it."

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

All too often, books are described as "must-read." If you are LGBT+, this one actually deserves that description. If you are at all interested in achieving full equality, there is no excuse for skipping this one. Here's what Signorile covers:

1) Victory blindness - the idea that, since we've made so many incredible gains in recent years, equal rights are inevitable and just around the corner.
2) Exmples of continuing discrimination and violence against LGBT+ (in the workplace, by the medical profession, etc.), and a challenge to the idea that the closet is a thing of the past.
3) New, more insidious and disturbing methods that people who are against equality are using to ensure that LGBT+ people do not get equal rights.
4) The problem of "covering," or trying too hard to assimilate into heteronormative culure, in order to maintain the status quo.
5) Bullying in schools and beyond, and how self-defense can give children and adults an improved sense of confidence and self-worth.
6) The "both sides of the debate" problem. (Whenever an LGBT+ issue comes up on the news, the media always trot out some evangelical extremist to present to "other side," something that you'd never see happen to other minorities.)
7) How grass roots organizing and activism is just as important now as ever, especially given that too many of the most powerful LGBT+ organizations (HRC, GLAAD, etc.) are indecisive, overly cautious, cowtowing, or altogether silent, when we need them most urgently.
8) An examination of the entrenchment of homophobia in professional sports, and how pressure from the outside is necessary to change their culture of discrimination.
9) The book concludes with examples of practical steps we must take to move beyond mere "tolerance" to full equality.

I'd like to address some of the criticism given by Elin. That reviewer said that the book "might make good reading for school clubs or for first-day assignments in introductory undergraduate courses...however, when it comes to specific examples, few issues are presented and analysis is surface-level." I'm a little baffled by that. The book is chock-full of "specific examples" of all the issues mentioned above, and more. But more importantly, and to the point, this is not a book that was written to be read in school. This is a manifesto, a call to action, written in language anyone can understand. It is not an academic exercise.

Elin goes on: "[D]isappointingly, signorile fails to recognize or challenge the 'radical' lgbt movement's disproportionate focus on youth issues, on which i have commented previously." These are apparently arguments Elin has more fully developed elsewhere, with which we are assumed to be familiar. Elin also accuses Signorile of being one of many men "capable or willing to consider lbpq [sic] women's culture," but fails to mention any particular examples of the issues that are supposedly missing from the book.

This book is just what we needed at just the right time: A guide to moving forward in the march toward full equality, with eyes wide open to the stumbling blocks our enemies, and even we ourselves, have placed in our way. If you read only one book on LGBT+ rights this year, make it this one. Sleepers, wake!

[Bob H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This couldn't be more timely. As I write (April 2015), the Supreme Court is about to hear arguments in the marriage cases, and we've just come through a month of so-called "religious freedom" bills in Indiana and Arkansas. If the marriage ruling in June goes in favor of LGBT equality, the backlash will be epic, and Signorile has anticipated it. The message of his book -- don't get complacent! -- is clear enough, but he also shows us that we live in a time of backlash, and the opposition is simply regrouping in newer and more cunning ways.

Some things have shifted since this book went to print, notably the latest "religious freedom" bills, although -- proving his point -- he talks about preliminary skirmishes in Arizona and elsewhere, and discusses the danger posed by the Supreme Court "Hobby Lobby" ruling, which recognized businesses not just as persons but as people of faith. He discusses incrementalism and outright hypocrisy by powerful leaders, notably (now-former) Rep. Aaron Schock, who has since, hastily, resigned over irregularities in his use of Federal funds. Nonetheless, Signorile flags weaknesses in leaders, which is his second message: don't trust leadership to do the right thing unless pushed -- and closely watched. He talks about the ongoing anti-LGBT defamation in politics and in news media, a source of poison still at work. He stresses the importance of LGBT visibility at all levels, unapologetic visibility.

He has a good discussion of "covering," a sort of assimilation, a half-visibility or half-closeted form of LGBT presence. Signorile didn't coin the term -- he says so -- but he does provide a good discussion of its problematic nature, and puts it in the context of this book. He devotes a chapter to the last closet, major-league sports, and the need for role models there for everyone's sake, notably the young. "That, in fact, is where real change will take place," he tells us, "future filmakers and TV producers and actors and politicians and editors and reporters are in grade school right now, after all."

Perhaps that touches on the most important aspect of the book. The LGBT cause has had some recent victories, and may see some more in 2015, in some localities and some demographics. But the backlash will fall on the most vulnerable: the young, the transgendered, LGBT people in rural counties or red states. We know that, and Signorile warns us with more emphasis. Best of times, worst of times, and more so as 2015 goes into the 2016 election season.

Highest recommendation.

[Brandon Shire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST READ for anyone even remotely interested in LGBTQ equality.

[Sharon Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book, reminding gays and their supporters not to be too carried away by the delirium of recent successes and the celebration of some famous gay marriages. Signorile calls this "victory blindness" and argues that enemies of gays (broadly, in the USA, the Religious Right), have not given up; rather, they've shifted ground. Instead of openly condemning gay marriage and other pro-gay initiatives, which tends to backfire in the more liberal current atmosphere, they've tried to insert clauses into legislation which are ostensibly intended to protect believers from acting contrary to their religious beliefs. This tactic effectively legitimises anti-gay discrimination under the guise of "religious freedom". Signorile cites many examples of this latter form of "warfare" against gays.

This book is strictly limited to the US scene, but for once I applaud this decision; it allows Signorile to examine the situation of gays in the US in some depth. Lessons can be drawn which can apply to other countries. The author also advocates a stepped-up campaigning style, much more confrontational than recently seen, and even refers to some instances of gay advocates softening their stance on some issues, afraid they could undermine their successes. He looks to feminists' tough campaigning against domestic violence for an example of the kind of pro-gay campaigning he'd like to see.

It isn't over is a timely book for an ongoing struggle, not nearly won yet.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing company in exchange for a review.

Overall, I felt like this was an informative book that does a good job of pointing out the dangers of what Michelangelo Signorile refers to as “victory blindness.” He explains something that I have been trying to tell my friends in the community and my friends and family who are our allies from some time now, and he explains it well. The fight for equality for the LGBT community is long from over and if we back off now and continue to settle for small victories and treat them as if they are huge victories and let “victory blindness” take hold of us then we will start to find ourselves taking steps backward instead of continuing to take steps forward, and Signorile makes that clear.

However, I did have a few issues with the book. One of the issues I had is when Signorile discusses the infamous “don’t say gay bill” in Tennessee. He says, “the bill would have forced kids out of the closet to families who might be conservative and anti-gay and might put them into harmful conversion therapy programs or, perhaps, even throw them out on the street.” This statement is true… mostly. My issue with it is that… whether this is what Signorile intended or not, to me the statement comes across sounding like the only families that could possibly be anti-gay, the only parents that would want to put their kids through conversion therapy or kick their kids out are conservative parents. Perhaps that often is the case, but it is not ALWAYS the case and simply because somebody is liberal does not automatically mean that they will be accepting and won’t kick their gay child out of the house or force them into conversion therapy. Such was the case for me when I came out. Much of my family is largely conservative and yet they all accepted me with arms wide open and many of them have been and are very vocal in their support for the LGBT community. The only person who did not accept me was my mother, who is very liberal in every other sense of the word and yet she still insisted that I had to move back in with her so that she could get me into one of those harmful conversion therapy programs. I have said to people in the past and I will say it again now: whether a person accepts us or not is NOT a matter of political orientation but in most cases more a matter of their religion. My mother is very religious, always has been… often times to extremes. Both my Dad and I on the other hand are Pagan… a religion that in any of its forms pretty much demands that we are loving and accepting of all regardless of their differences, and while the rest of my family is Catholic, they are not so religious to the point where they let it control their lives and let the hatred that is often preached from Catholicism take hold of them and lead them down a path of hate and bigotry as it has so many others like my mother. While politics and politicians (on BOTH sides… or all sides I should say) are guilty of leading people down a path of hate (sometimes intentionally)… when it comes to the LGBT community and the hatred we face, I think it’s safe to say that it is without a doubt religion and NOT political orientation that leads people to direct so much hatred and bigotry toward us.

The only other thing that really bothered me in the book was that Signorile seems to condemn the act of outing in one breath and condone it in the next. He discusses the dangers of the “don’t say gay” bill in Tennessee would have, encouraging teachers, counselors, etc. to out students to their parents. But in the next chapter he says, “it is increasingly not legally considered harmful to even falsely say that a public figure is gay.” Through much of the chapter he goes on encouraging the media to step up and out celebrities and public figures as if such an act would have no negative effect on them at all (and again, that may not be how he intended for his words to come across, but that is how they came across to me)… and that simply is not true. Don’t get me wrong, it is important for celebrities and public figures to come out. They are role models for many people young and old and if those people see their role models come out then it may encourage them to be more accepting of LGBT people as well as help young people in their own process of coming out. However, coming out can be a very emotional process and that doesn’t change simply because somebody is in the public eye and it should be up to those public figures to come out on THEIR time when THEY are ready… not when the media is ready to out them. I will admit, however, that I agree when Signorile goes on later in the chapter to point out the issue with and hypocrisy of anti-gay politicians who are themselves gay or bisexual. I think the case is different with such individuals. When celebrities decide to stay in the closet… or what Signorile refers to as the “glass closet,” it is typically for personal emotional reasons or for career reasons. And yes, perhaps they are slowing down our ability to move forward faster by making the choice to stay in the closet longer… but they aren’t actually really hurting anybody. It’s different with closeted gay and bisexual politicians. They are hurting the rest of us by using their power to stop or reverse our progress or pushing and passing bills that give religious individuals the right to deny us service or bills that would kick open out bedroom doors calling for the criminalization of gay sex… all while participating in gay sex behind closed doors… or even in public in some cases. Those individuals ARE hurting us and their actions do need to be exposed.

I found myself nodding my head with much of the rest of the book, particularly with the chapter on self-defense. Two often it seems that we simply lay down and take the constant bullying and bashing instead of fighting back and saying enough is enough and putting the bullies in their place. I think too often we rely too heavily on others to jump in and save the day and fight back for us. But it doesn’t always work that way. While teachers and administrators do (or should) have an obligation to ensure that schools are safe environments and parents have (or should have) an obligation to raise their kids not to be bullies, they don’t always follow through on those obligations even when they are pressured to follow through on them. It should have to be this way, but sometimes it’s up to us to stand up for ourselves… which isn’t really anything new. I grew up hearing stories from family members who now shake their heads in disappointment at the amount of bullying we all hear about… not because there is more of it, but rather because when they were my age or when they were in high school they didn’t put up with the bullying. There was a time when if somebody was getting bullied, regardless of the reason, the victim didn’t hesitate to fight back and neither did other students who witnessed it. But things have changed. We aren’t willing to stand up for ourselves the way people once were and I think part of what has made us less willing to fight back is not only a sense of weakness but also the fact that going back a few years, victims of bullying didn’t get in trouble for defending themselves… but now it seems, at least in my experience and hearing stories from others, that when the victim of bullying finally does say enough is enough and slugs the bullying or gets in the bully’s face even just verbally, either both the bully and the victim get in trouble or the victim gets in trouble and the bully walks away with little more than a slap on the wrist. This does nothing to encourage people to stand up for themselves, instead it encourages victims to feel weak and helpless and encourages them simply keep their mouth shut and their hands at their side and take the bullying until they simply can’t take it anymore and are driven to take their own life instead. Not only do we need to fight to put an end to bullying, but we need to fight for the victims of bullying to have their right to defend themselves without being punished for it returned to them.

All that said, this is a book that I would absolutely recommend that everybody in the LGBT community and our allies read, especially those who find themselves giving in to “victory blindness.” And hopefully those that do read will have their eyes opened to the dangerous of giving in or backing off rather than continuing to fight hard for the equality that we all deserve.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much earth-shattering to be found in this book, but ultimately a fairly concise assessment of the current state of LGBTQ+ equality in the US.

To be frank, the most useful part of the book is the epilogue, which summarizes seven immediate steps forward: Breaking from victory blindness, stop covering, teach self-defense and self-empowerment, revolutionize education, tell media the debate is over, settle for nothing less than full civil rights, and develop an uncompromising, empowering attitude. Having read these summarized steps forward, the rest of the book snapped into focus for me.

Overall, a decent "State of the LGBTQ+ State."

[Finnoula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good pride month read although it’s not exactly as accurate as it was 6 years ago since it was written in a pre-Trump, Neoliberal era presidency. The political spectrum has really shifted since the mid-2010s and it’s not in a good way. I do think we still have a long way to go on trans issues now that marriage equality is the law of the land. Bc our trans siblings need help. And if you’re not with them then you’re against them

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is incredibly well researched and had a lot of time and effort put into it. I learned so much and I felt pretty educated on LGBTQ+ issues going into this book.

MY only issue is that this book was published in 2015 and I do think some things have changed. I would love to see an updated version of this book.

[Lydia Greenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invigorating and inspiring work, for sure. It makes the argument that despite the gains the LGBT community has made in the past few years, the fighting isn't over. We must keep pressure on our government and ourselves in order to truly attain equality. It is an amazing call to action that I was hardly able to put down. I highly recommend it, especially if you're LGBT.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Still Isn't Over Ten Years Later

I thought the current political climate was a good time to read this book that has been sitting in the TBR pile for some time. The concept of Victory Blindness in particular is one we, pardon the pun, shouldn't lose sight of. Two steps forward and one step back has been becoming too common. We need to keep fighting unfortunately.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important read for allies as well as those who identify themselves as LGBTQIA+. The fight is far from over and we can not get complacent with the victories won in the last couple years. Full review to come.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad book, and I was glad for a book that highlights the struggles the LGBTQ community still faces in the push for equality, but I found the book to be repetitive and not as compelling as it could have been.

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A call to arms for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies to keep up the pressure and protests for equal rights in US society.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Documentary research. Signorile does a thorough examination of the different places in society where homophobia still thrives, even in places that seem to be fixed.

[Subiya Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing amazing book to understand more about LGBTQ society and their struggles.

[ROBERT SANBORN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs a new plan in the Current Environment

Although this books provides some important points it is dated. The author needs to revise or rewrite a new book that reflects the current situation of hatred in government and the real attempts to roll back gay equality

[Jerry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book clearly articulates why fights for civil rights always seem to be gains marked by reversals as the backlash sets in from conservatives who fight to preserve some mythical golden age that they see as being under assault by progressive liberals. It's as though denying other people's rights is some laudable aim to those with such views. There have been many in the past, most notably the backlash against civil rights in the 60s and the latest is the advances in LGBT rights encapsulated in the Supreme Court's ruling on same sex marriage.

The backlash has certainly begun and this book effectively argues that we need to be aware of it, ostensibly as it relates to "religious freedom" and those that would turn their desire to deny civil and human rights to others as an attack on same i.e. victim flipping which is covered well here and is all too evident if you only care to look. The central tenet of this book is the importance of avoiding victory blindness - in other words thinking that the battle is won because of the SCOTUS ruling when there is still a vast amount of work to be done to realize true equality.

I am a complete bleeding heart so of course I am predisposed to support the arguments hereby espoused but they do reflect what I have seen. It is no longer acceptable in most circles (Trump is a notable, vile exception) to spout racial and homophobic slurs out loud so the right has learned to hide it under the banner of other things, like religious freedoms. We need to call it out when we see it to avoid the bigotry that is clearly not far below the surface.

There is obviously an agenda here but I learned a lot about the struggles of this population, in particular Transgender people and we need to think more about these issues raised. The book is well written and persuasive, to me at least. I am sure if you have more conservative leanings you will be equally appalled at what you read here but such is the situation on topics like this. I find bigotry abhorrent and we need to recognize its more subtle forms and challenge them - I need to get better at that and this book will help I think.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would, and could, be longer. But, it is what it is. And what it is is a well-written argument that LGBTQ folks need to be a bit more assertive in the face of their detractors.

Radio host Signorile argues that the ground gained in the gay marriage efforts have blinded most queer people to the fact that real problems still exist. Rather than rest on their laurels, he says, everybody on the rainbow spectrum needs to take a few more action steps. These include speaking up more on social media and learning self-defense (especially if you are being bullied). All of the suggestions are neatly summed up in the last chapter, so you could technically just skip right there and get the gist of the book.

But the anecdotes are also worth considering. Signorile offers lots of proof, buttressed with an extensive notes section, that hate crimes and shitty attitudes are still Quite A Thing, and that you can't afford to get complacent. In particular, Signorile calls out "covering," the phenomenon that occurs when LGBTQ people are out, but deliberately refrain from showing affection in public, wearing gay-positive shirts, talking openly about partners, or other queer issues, etc. These actions, he claims, are a form of respectability politics that cater to the people who "don't mind if you're gay, but I don't want to watch you kiss your boyfriend." The book he cites repeatedly is now on my to-read list: Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights, by Kenji Yoshino.

I was kind of surprised when I got to the end of the book, because I definitely wanted him to go on. He could've cited a LOT more examples, but the stuff he gives us here is a good place to start researching. This is a call to arms for the LGBTQ community, and would make a good pick for a queer book club.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a sad read, but that is mostly because it has a lot of common themes that seem to feed into the results of this year's presidential election. Signorile is a well-known journalist from the LGBTQ community, and this book really takes a look at the concept that LGBTQ folks should just let their guard down after recent strides through the overturning of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the implementation of same-sex marriage through a Supreme Court ruling. He does this for two reasons:

1. There are still a lot of things that need to be done to help LGBTQ folks have full equality in our country, including employment and housing protections.
2. He predicted a backlash from the conservative elements in America that might push back against not only these newly won freedoms, but also challenge our ability to gain full equality.

Through a series of chapters he presents the reasons why it is so important to be vigilant. In the end, he proposes that the LGBTQ community act in the following ways:
1. Break from victory blindness, and scrape the victory narrative
2. Stop covering, and reject the covering demand
3. Teach self-defense and self-empowerment
4. Revolutionize education
5. Tell the media the debate is over
6. Settle for nothing less than full civil rights
7. Develop a new attitude that is uncompromising and empowering

The book delves deeper into each of these, highlighting why the are important and how they can be achieved.

If nothing else, the recent election has shown that his advice is not only important, but needs to be followed.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published just before the Supreme Court found for for marriage equality in the Obergefell case, this book is just as important today. Using personal experience, journalism, research and analysis, Signorile makes a compelling argument that we are at a vulnerable point in the struggle for LGBTQ rights and protections. Now that it looks like we are largely accepted and have "won," it becomes far too easy to become complacent. Signorile offers an impressive amount of evidence to argue that we are deceived if we think we can sit back and rest; homophobia is still very much alive.

As I write this today, I am mindful of the country's president-elect and the people he is pulling around him. Not one of Trump's chief advisers or cabinet selections is an advocate for the LGBTQ citizens of the US. In fact, most are among the most anti-gay we have seen in decades. We have much to lose by our complacency.

The author concludes the book with practical steps LGBTQ persons and allies can take to move the country away from tolerance and toward acceptance of full equality regardless of sexual orientation.

[Rob Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Signorile. I listen to his SiriusXM show every day and have read his other books. This book is an excellent summary of why the LGBTQ community needs to continue to put pressure on the government, the media and the larger American culture if we hope to achieve true equality. Michelangelo, discusses the idea of "covering" in which member of a minority group downplay differences in order to make themselves "more palatable or at least inoffensive." He shows how this idea of covering has appeared recently in the LGBT movement and how some of us, including our straight allies, have a victory blindness. Although we have achieved a great deal legally and culturally, it's clear that we still have a long way to go until we have true equality. Signorile uses actual events to demonstrate that, even though we have come far, we still have farther to go.. If you feel the LGBT right is over, this book is for you. If you have friends and family who feel the fight is over, Signorile's book would be a great gift to prove to them that "it's not over."

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written with lots of important statistics and anecdotal accounts of homophobia and examples of how it has been dealt with. The major theme of the book is that even though there have been great victories in LGBT rights, we cannot rest on our laurels. Even though many rights have been gained, such as the right to same sex marriage, the culture is still largely homophobic, either explicitly or implicitly. He also introduces the concept of "covering," where LGBT individuals will just let various amounts of prejudiced behavior pass without confronting it, or they will behave in ways that sort of mute their LGBT status to reduce the amount of homophobic behavior they might experience. Signorile says that if we want true and lasting progress on LGBT rights, covering needs to stop. LGBT people need to live openly as LGBT and not accept homophobic behavior from others. It needs to be confronted regularly. Although I agree with the author on many of the things in this book, sometimes I think he might be coming on a bit too strongly.

[Rod Hensel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage, this book is important for any person in the LGBT community and our allies concerned about equality. The author wrote in anticipation of the court's ruling, I think, and demonstrates how the opponents of LGBT equality have already planned and are implementing their next moves. Signorile explains why the struggle for LGBT equality is far from over and shows how easily LGBT opponents might take back what has been won. If you care about LGBT equality, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.

[Joe Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelangelo Signorile, where has this man been all my life?!? I recently came across this book at random and holy shit am I impressed. I will keep this short but I will say this: If ever you find yourself in the LGBTQ Community and you feel that we have no place please read or listen to anything by this man. His opinion and positions are very well thought out. He is definitely a very strong mind to pay attention to in matters of the gay community.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.

[Tony Millspaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Signorile has the reputation for being a bomb thrower, I found myself nodding as I read his analysis of the fight for LGBTQ equality, far from over. His militancy is well founded

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and an interesting read. Proves there is SO MUCH more that needs to be accomplished for true equality. A must read.

[Jay Nolen]

recd by Bos guy blog

[Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but too US-focussed.