Law and the Gay Rights Story
The Long Search for Equal Justice in a Divided Democracy
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
For much of the 20th century, American gays and lesbians lived in fear that public exposure of their sexualities might cause them to be fired, blackmailed, or even arrested. Today, they are enjoying an unprecedented number of legal rights and protections. Clearly, the tides have shifted for gays and lesbians, but what caused this enormous sea change?
In his gripping new book, Walter Frank offers an in-depth look at the court cases that were pivotal in establishing gay rights. But he also tells the story of those individuals who were willing to make waves by fighting for those rights, taking enormous personal risks at a time when the tide of public opinion was against them. Frank’s accessible style brings complex legal issues down to earth but, as a former litigator, never loses sight of the law’s human dimension and the context of the events occurring outside the courtroom.
Chronicling the past half-century of gay and lesbian history, Law and the Gay Rights Story offers a unique perspective on familiar events like the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Frank pays special attention to the constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriage and closely analyzes the two recent Supreme Court cases addressing the issue. While a strong advocate for gay rights, Frank also examines critiques of the movement, including some coming from the gay community itself. Comprehensive in coverage, the book explains the legal and constitutional issues involved in each of the major goals of the gay rights movement: a safe and healthy school environment, workplace equality, an end to anti-gay violence, relationship recognition, and full integration into all the institutions of the larger society, including marriage and military service. Drawing from extensive archival research and from decades of experience as a practicing litigator, Frank not only provides a vivid history, but also shows where the battle for gay rights might go from here.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Legal expert Frank (Making Sense of the Constitution) offers a timely look at the history and achievements of the Gay Rights movement. Frank outlines the strategy the movement employed win the hearts and minds of citizens, persuade lawmakers, and finally vindicate rights in the courtroom and then follows that strategy as it unfolds, providing valuable context to the sea change that has put the movement's goals within reach. Frank notes the catalysts for change came from myriad sources and he analyzes both milestone Supreme Court cases and important events such as the 1969 New York City Stonewall riots, which were a response to an NYPD raid on the eponymous gay bar. There is much about the AIDS crisis, as well as controversial areas that provided flash points for the movement, among them the right to adopt, the right to work, and the right to marry. Additionally, his profiling of early groups working for gay rights the Mattachine Society, the Dorian Society, the New York Gay Liberation Front, and the Gay Activist Alliance will be new information for many readers. Frank's enlightening book underscores how long and difficult the road has been for gay rights and how much has been gained.