Brett Krutzsch's Dying to Be Normal is a brilliant study of martyrdom and memorialization as central to gay activism in the United States. Although religiosity and sexuality are often thought to be opposing forces, the book shows that religion and sex are powerfully entwined. Christian nationalism and Protestant secularism may form the current parameters of political possibility, but Krutzsch provides an expansive, alternative analysis that opens toward a
diverse sexual democracy.
Brett Krutzsch is Coordinator of the Center for Religion and Media and Instructor in the Department of Religious Studies at New York University. His scholarship examines intersections of religion, sexuality, gender, race, and politics in the United States.