An Evening with Lisa M. Stulberg in conversation with Brad Meltzer
About this Event
🎟 This event is FREE and open to the public and books will be available for purchase the night of the event! An RSVP grants general entry, but seating is not guaranteed, so please try and show up early. Can't make the event?
“Animated by scores of voices gathered over more than a decade, How to Win a Culture War offers a lucid, sociologically rich account of pop culture's role in the long, uneven fight for LGBTQ visibility, self‑determination, community, and love. A necessary book at a moment when the fight has never mattered more.”
— Joshua Gamson, author of "Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity"
About The Book
How elite athletes and entertainment industry movers and shakers work to win the culture war for LGBTQ+ social justice.
The unquestionable runaway television hit of late 2025 was Crave/HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, a show that tells the love story of two queer ice hockey players. This show—and the wider social context around it—would have been unthinkable without the courageous writing, art, and advocacy of previous generations of LGBTQ+ people and their allies in the entertainment industry. In How to Win a Culture War, sociologist Lisa M. Stulberg argues that, despite substantial barriers, past and current creatives and athletes are changing American culture through their contributions to arts, sports, and politics.
Stulberg conducted in-depth interviews with 170 culture workers—including television, film, and theater actors and creators; musicians; elite athletes; and activists over the span of 14 years. These include stars such as Will & Grace's Eric McCormack, Orange Is the New Black’s Lea DeLaria, Olympic diver Greg Louganis, and several former NFL players, as well as the TV and movie writers, producers, and directors behind some of pop culture’s boldest moves. These culture makers take six primary steps toward LGBTQ+ social change: they become visible, use available platforms, change their workplaces, overachieve, become normal, and stay queer. In this work, they are opening up the culture, changing hearts and minds, and building community, even amid a fresh round of ruthless political attacks on LGBTQ+ people.
Providing rich behind-the-scenes insight and cultural material, Stulberg outlines an urgently needed playbook for how to win a culture war.
About The Author
Lisa M. Stulberg is associate professor of sociology of education at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and an affiliated faculty member in the department of sociology. She is the author of LGBTQ Social Movements.
About The Moderator
Brad Meltzer is the Emmy-nominated, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod and thirteen other bestselling thrillers. He also writes nonfiction books like The Hitler Conspiracy, and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series.
Brad is also the host of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the History Channel and is responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag with his show, Brad Meltzer’s Lost History.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
