How to Win a Culture War by Lisa M. Stulberg

Sociologist Lisa M. Stulberg examines how LGBTQ+ people in entertainment and sports have shifted American culture toward acceptance and social justice. Drawing on fourteen years of in-depth interviews with 170 actors, writers, musicians, athletes and activists, she identifies six steps they take: becoming visible, using the platforms available to them, changing their workplaces, overachieving, becoming normal, and staying queer. The book opens with the late-2025 hit Heated Rivalry, about two queer hockey players, and traces how such successes rest on earlier generations of LGBTQ+ creators and allies, offering the six steps as a guide for continuing the work amid current political attacks.