In 1987 Kirk partnered with Hunter Madsen (writing under the pen-name "Erastes Pill") to write an essay, "The Overhauling of Straight America", which was published in "Guide" magazine. They argued that gays must portray themselves in a positive way to straight America, and that the main aim of making homosexuality acceptable could be achieved by getting Americans "to think that it is just another thing, with a shrug of their shoulders". Then "your battle for legal and social rights is virtually won". The pair developed their argument in the 1989 book "After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ’90s". The book outlined a public relations strategy for the LGBT movement. After its publication Kirk appeared in the pages of "Newsweek", "Time" and "The Washington Post".