Weathering Change : Gays and Lesbians, Christian Conservatives, and Everyday Hostilities

View the Table of Contents. Read Chapter 1.An important contribution to the sociology of religion as well as to political sociology. With the currency of Linneman's topics and the skill of his coverage, the book should appeal to students and researchers alike.--Sociology of ReligionA fascinating account. --Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionThe Pacific Northwest is known for its diverse, unusual politics. There are thriving gay and lesbian communities and populations of staunchly conservative Christians. Both groups wield political power out of proportion to their numbers and yet both feel beleaguered. How do members of these groups--both community leaders and everyday citizens--perceive the political climates that surround them?This book tells a tale of two Northwestern cities: Seattle, well known nationally for its liberalism, and Spokane, its conservative cousin to the east. Weathering Change characterizes the ways these liberal and conservative environments translate into hostility and hospitality for the Christian conservatives, gay men, and lesbians who live within them. Linneman gives us a firsthand account of how people from both groups think about social change in relation to the media, the public, the government, their communities, and their opposition. Indeed, we gain much needed insight into why Christian conservatives view the progress of the gay and lesbian movement as such a threat.

Thomas J. Linneman is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he teaches courses on American society, social change, statistics, and the media.