Alyson Publications, the nation's foremost publisher of books for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community announced today the May 1999 publication of "Prayer Warriors: The True Story of a Gay Son, His Fundamentalist Christian Family, and Their Battle for His Soul" by Stuart Howell Miller. This is the powerful story of Miller's coming out to his family, and the resulting "Prayer War" that sent him into a spiral of depression, fear and self-doubt.

"I want to show how the words and actions of the right wing leadership such as Gary Bauer and Pat Robertson trickle down and affect their followers," explains Miller on the genesis of Prayer Warriors. "I want to show the effect on individuals and on families of their message of intolerance. They are supposed to be about family values, but they are ripping families apart."

Stuart Miller knows this all too well. When he came out to his family in 1992, he knew their reaction would be extreme, but nothing had prepared him for the swift and terrifying maelstrom unleashed by his family against him. A brigade of "prayer warriors" organized by his father, included not only his twelve year old sister ("God can change you or kill you," she wrote.) but complete strangers. The prayer warriors bombarded him with wave after wave of letters and phone calls, each conveying a similar message of hate and threats.

The brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, along with the controversy over supposed "gay cures," has sparked an intense dialogue in the gay and lesbian community, political circles, and organized religion over how some factions of Christianity seem to be engaged in a war to eliminate homosexuality. Prayer Warriors takes readers behind the battle lines and exposes the weapons, tactics, and hypocrisy of this engagement.

Prayer Warriors is a frightening portrait of the damage inflicted on good people, and on strong and loving families by the actions and literature of the religious right. It also provides an inspiring message of hope and triumph as Miller chronicles his coming to terms with his life, his family and his God.

About The Author

Stuart Miller was born and raised outside Nashville, TN, and now resides in Los Angeles. His career as an activist began long before the events chronicled in Prayer Warriors. Before moving to Los Angeles, he was Education Director for the Nashville-based AIDS service provider Nashville Cares. In Los Angeles he served in various management positions for the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, rising to Director of Public Affairs. Miller is currently President of the media and communications firm, Bold New World, and continues his work in the community by serving on the board of directors for East West Players (the nationās oldest and largest Asian- American theater), and as a committee chair ofthe GLAAD Media Awards.

Prayer Warriors: The True Story of a Gay Son, His Fundamentalist Christian Family , and Their Battle For His Soul
ISBN: 1-55583-445-0
$13.95 - 224pp - paper
May, 1999
Alyson Publications
http://www.alyson.com