In this revolutionary new book, scholars Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini confront the issue of sexual regulation head-on by supporting the idea of having sexual freedom just as we have religious freedom in this country. In their carefully constructed argument, they fight the idea of loving the sinner but hating the sin, suggesting we should, in the case of sex, love the sin. Turning from sex to religion, the authors question why in the United States the principle of religious freedom is so rarely realized in practice. They end by providing a new way of considering freedom for both sexuality and religion, after laying out precisely how the two are intertwined. "Surprising . . . startling . . . a fresh way to argue for gay rights and sexual freedom." --Michael Bronski, Boston Phoenix "A tightly packed analysis of the fallacy of sexual tolerance in American society . . . This book serves its purpose by giving the GLBT community a new focus and even a renewed idealism." --Gayle R. Baldwin, Gay & Lesbian Review "[The authors'] powerful arguments might help feminists to explain pro-sex values to Christians who, knowing their own denominations' struggles against established churches, understand the value of religious freedom." --Gail Bederman, Women's Review of Books

Janet R. Jakobsen is director of the Center for Research on Women at Barnard College Ann Pellegrini is associate professor of religious studies and performance studies at New York University