The grand philosophical battle between postmoderists and liberals is reflected in disputes within gay rights philosophy. On one side are postmoderist queer theorists who, in addressing the meaning and implications of sexuality in our society, reject foundational values and deny that there is a natural or essentialist component to sexual orientation. On the other side are liberals who believe that the struggle for justice for gay men and lesbians can be grounded on foundational principles such as equality, reason, and autonomy. Each of the two books that are the subject of this essay is an eloquent representative of one of these philosophical factions: McWhorter's book is an ode to the antifoundationalist and antiessentialist philosophy of Michel Foucault; Richards's book is an ode to the universalist liberal values of equality and autonomy as represented by fundamental human rights. In part I of this essay, I give a brief historical overview of the battle in gay rights philosophy over issues of essentialism and universalism. In part II, I summarize the two books under review and place them within the broader philosophical debate discussed in part I. In part III, I take sides. I argue that,