Christopher Lehmann-Haupt gave the book a mixed review, describing it as "eloquent", "intelligent", and "eye-opening", but accusing Bawer of "sometimes twisting the logic of those he disagrees with", "relying too heavily on his own dogma", and "failing to come to grips with some fundamental issues". Still, he wrote, the book "smashes the common stereotypes of gay people to smithereens". In "The Washington Post", Jonathan Yardley, too, found the book "imperfect", accusing Bawer of a "regrettable penchant for sweeping generalizations", "a surprisingly rancorous view of conventional heterosexual marriage", and an occasional "angry edge", but called the book "courageous" and felt that Bawer, whose stated aim was to approach his topic "with reason, not rancor", had fulfilled that aim "with precisely the qualities that distinguish his literary criticism". Moreover, Yardley supported Bawer's case for gay marriage, even though "the mere mention of still sends millions of Americans into orbit".