Taking an unprecedented, counterintuitive look at America's conflict over sexuality, this book reveals how the attack on the exotic dance industry by the activist Christian Right threatens the separation of church and state and undermines civil liberties

Across America, strip clubs have come under attack by a politically aggressive segment of the Christian Right. Using plausible-sounding but factually untrue arguments about the harmful effects of strip clubs on their communities, the Christian Right has stoked public outrage and incited local and state governments to impose onerous restrictions on the clubs with the intent of dismantling the exotic dance industry. But an even larger agenda is at work, according to Judith Lynne Hanna. In Naked Truth, she builds a convincing case that the attack on exotic dance is part of the activist Christian Right’s “grand design” to supplant constitutional democracy in America with a Bible-based theocracy.

Hanna takes readers onstage, backstage, and into the community and courts to reveal the conflicts, charges, and realities that are playing out at the intersection of erotic fantasy, religion, politics, and law. She explains why exotic dance is a legitimate form of artistic communication and debunks the many myths and untruths that the Christian Right uses to fight strip clubs. Hanna also demonstrates that while the fight happens at the local level, it is part of a national campaign to regulate sexuality and punish those who do not adhere to Scripture-based moral values. Ultimately, she argues, the naked truth is that the separation of church and state is under siege and our civil liberties—free speech, women’s rights, and free enterprise—are at stake.

"Naked Truth is a riveting combination of news stories, fascinating anecdote, articulate analysis, and lessons in our living Constitution…Whether you’re interested in stripping as an art form (with a long and complex history), as the focus of a long series of Constitutional cases (which Hanna describes in entertaining fashion), or as a case study in the rise of organized religious activism (Roe v Wade, anyone?), you’ll find this book an enjoyable, thought-provoking read." - Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality

"Though her book has plenty of appendices and footnotes, it also has news stories and anecdotes, and descriptions of her testimonies in court. It is entertaining, but it is also a serious examination of how activists are trying to use sexual regulation in order to limit entertainment and enforce morality along church guidelines....Her bright, detailed, and engrossing book strongly supports free expression and shows that it makes no difference if that expression involves bodily movement, sexuality, or fantasy." - The Commercial Dispatch

"…offers a bold new argument…illuminate(s) the contours of an important but often-overlooked battle in American culture." - Dance Chronicle