Gay and Lesbian Rights / Edition 2

by David E. Newton

Overview

This thoroughly updated edition provides readers with the background and resources needed to understand one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time.

When it was first published in 1994, Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook was acclaimed in School Library Jourbanal for taking "a sober and balanced approach in addressing this emotionally charged and complex topic." The new edition shows just how far the nation has come in securing legal protections regardless of sexual orientation—and how far we still have to go.

Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook, Second Edition provides a history of the gay liberation and gay rights movements in the United States and other parts of the world. Maintaining the careful approach of the first edition, it addresses a range of current issues from housing and employment discrimination to military service to same-sex marriage and adoption laws. Wholly rewritten, with almost 80 percent new material, it is the ideal introduction to one of the most important civil rights issues in the world today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598843064
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/27/2009
Series:	Contemporary World Issues
Pages:	301
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

David E. Newton is formerly professor of chemistry and physics at Salem State College, Salem, MA, and adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.

Table of Contents

List of Tables xiii

Preface xv

1 Background and History 1

Introduction 1

Gay and Lesbian Rights: The Issues 2

The Invisible Minority 6

Winds of Change 8

The Storm Breaks 14

The Stonewall Riots and Beyond 16

Changing Minds, Changing Laws 21

Reaction and Disaster 22

Reaction against the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement 23

The AIDS Epidemic 26

New Horizons 28

References 30

2 Problems, Controversies, and Solutions 35

The Power of Language 36

Hate Crimes 40

Issues of Discrimination in Employment, Housing, and Access to Public Accommodations 43

Lesbians and Gay Men in the Military 48

Pros and Cons of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," 51

Same-Sex Adoption 54

Same-Sex Marriage 64

Legal Status of Same-Sex Relationships 65

Federal Actions 70

Pros and Cons of Same-Sex Marriage 71

Second-Class Citizens, Still? 74

References 76

3 Worldwide Perspective 85

Sodomy Laws throughout History 85

Hate Crimes 88

Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation 91

Lesbians and Gay Men in the Military 97

Same-Sex Adoption and Marriage 101

Same-Sex Adoption 101

Same-Sex Marriage 105

The Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights Worldwide 10

References 111

4 Chronology 119

5 Biographical Sketches 149

Tammy Baldwin 149

Elizabeth M. Birch 150

Howard Juniah Brown 51

Charlotte Bunch 152

John D'Emilio 153

Martin Bauml Duberman 155

Steve Endean 156

Barbara Gittings 156

Henry (Harry) Hay 158

Magnus Hirschfeld 159

Franklin Kameny 161

Larry Kramer 162

Phyllis Lyon 163

Del Martin 164

Leonard Matlovich 165

Harvey Milk 167

Troy Perry 168

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs 170

UrvashiVaid 171

Bruce Voeller 172

Tom Waddell173

References 175

6 Data and Documents 177

Policy Statements 177

Don't Ask, Don't Tell (1993) 177

The Threat to Marriage from the Courts (2003) 181

Legislation 190

Federal Defense of Marriage Act (1996) 190

Federal Marriage Amendment (2003) 190

Employment Nondiscrimination Act (2007) 191

Oregon Family Fairness Act (2007) 193

Uniting American Families Act (2007) 196

Matthew Shepard Act (2007) 198

Court Cases 201

Lawrence v. Texas 539 U.S. 558 (2003) 201

In re Marriage Cases: Opinion (2008) 205

In re Marriage Cases: Dissent (2008) 211

Data 213

Hate Crime Trends (2001-2006) 213

Total "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Discharges (1994-2006) 213

Same-Sex Marriages in Massachusetts (2008) 214

7 Directory of Organizations 215

Organizations Supporting and/or Promoting Lesbian and Gay Rights 216

Organizations Opposing Lesbian and Gay Rights 239

References 244

8 Resources 245

Historical Documents 245

Books 245

Articles 252

Reports 252

Web Sites 253

Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights 253

Books 253

Articles 262

Reports 263

Web Sites 265

Same-Sex Relationships and Adoption 270

Books 270

Articles 272

Reports 276

Web Sites 278

International Issues 279

Books 279

Articles 280

Web Sites 280

Glossary 283

Index 287

About the Author 301

Editorial Reviews

As a whole, Gay and Lesbian Rights serves as a basic introduction to a significant social movement, and the bibliographies for the first three chapters can lead readers to more in-depth information.” —ARBAonline

“As recent ballot measures on same-sex marriage show, gay and lesbian rights continue to be a controversial in the U.S. This wide-ranging guide to current issues affecting lesbian and gay people not only covers marriage, but also deals with housing and employment discrimination, hate crimes, military service, and adoption. An introductory section gives an overview of the history of the lesbian and gay struggle for civil rights, and other sections list organizations involved with gay and lesbian rights (most of them supportive) and provide resources for further information on the topics covered in the book. Of less obvious utility are a chronology of the legal struggle for lesbian and gay rights and a section of somewhat arbitrarily selected biographies of important figures in the gay and lesbian rights movement.” —Reference & Research Book News

“…for a current, single-volume overview of LGBT legislation, legal rights, and policy, this work will suffice.” —School Library Jourbanal

“The second edition of Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook is an excellent reference book, well worth adding to a library's collection.” —Feminist Collections

From the Publisher

It is difficult to ascertain for whom-if anyone-this book would be of value. An attempt to provide an overview of the struggle for homosexual rights is followed by an inconsistent chronology of important events in the gay and lesbian rights movement. Twenty-nine short biographical sketches of some of the most important figures on both sides of the gay and lesbian rights debate provide basic information, but by what criteria were they chosen? Statements and documents culled from a variety of sources provide examples of legislation, comments, and court decisions. Directories of national, state, and local gay and lesbian rights organizations are juxtaposed with an incomplete list of antigay organizations. An inadequate index, a remarkably outdated list of periodicals, an ineffectual glossary, and many errors demonstrate an overwhelming need for editorial control of this overpriced cut-and-paste job. Not recommended; a possible alternative is The Rights of Lesbians and Gay Men: The Basic ACLU Guide to a Gay Person's Rights (Southern Illinois Univ. Pr., 1992. 3d ed.).-James E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—The second edition of this handbook provides a succinct update on a rapidly evolving issue. With the addition of new chapters ("Worldwide Perspective," "Problems, Controversies, and Solutions") since the 1995 edition, Newton not only expands the historical perspective of LGBT rights, but also informs readers about more current topics such as same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by same-sex partners. The "Directory of Organizations," a listing of both advocates and opponents of gay rights, and "Resources," which is divided into sections providing books, articles, reports, and Web sites, are much improved in this edition. However, the majority of entries in "Biographical Sketches" are not new, and while the introduction to that chapter states that it includes biographies of individuals who challenge gay and lesbian rights, there are none. The volume also includes a lengthy chronology, a glossary with an unfortunate misspelling of the first word, and an adequate but imperfect index. Despite its shortcomings, for a current, single-volume overview of LGBT legislation, legal rights, and policy, this work will suffice. ABC-CLIO provides an identical, easy-to-navigate ebook version of this title.—Betty S. Evans, Missouri State University, Springfield

School Library Journal

A retired teacher and now full-time writer, Newton provides readers with a handbook touching on all aspects of the gay and lesbian rights movement. It follows the general format of other titles in the Contemporary World Issues series. A 30-page overview of the dispute over gay and lesbian rights is followed by a chronology of events relating to the gay rights movement over the past century. A third section contains biographical sketches of some of the leading figures in the gay and lesbian rights movement, as well as some opposed to the movement. Pat Robertson, an outspoken critic, is profiled alongside Craig Rodwell, the founder of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in New York City. Barney Frank, Barbara Gittings, Harry Hay, Jesse Helms, and Magnus Hirschfield are examples of others treated. These sketches are followed by "statements and documents," a mixed bag of opinions of individuals and organizations that have appeared in the popular and scholarly press; summaries of existing legislation, regulations, and executive orders dealing with gay rights as well as examples of these laws and regulations; samples of documents dealing with legal and corporate provisions for domestic partnerships; documents from and discussion of some important court cases; and Clinton's proposed plan for modification of military policy dealing with gay men and lesbians. The directory of organizations is also selective, and no criteria are provided for inclusion. Annotations are helpful; while phone and fax numbers are provided for most organizations, no E-mail addresses are given. Three of the best-known organizations opposed to gay and lesbian rights are listed after those in support of gay and lesbian rights. The list of print resources includes bibliographies, general books, and periodicals; annotations are provided for the former two categories. As in other parts of the book, a mixture of pro- and anti-gay titles are listed. Films and videos that are appropriate for high school through adult ages are listed next. A six-page glossary concludes the work. Finally, access provided by the 15-page author-title-subject index is not sufficient. Other titles that provide more detailed information on some aspects of this topic include "The Alyson Almanac" (Alyson, 1989), a chronology of the major events during the last 4,000 years that have affected gay people, and Jonathan N. Katz' "Gay/Lesbian Almanac: A New Documentary" (Harper, 1983). Readers will certainly want to consult Wayne R. Dynes' "Encyclopedia of Homosexuality" (Garland, 1990) as backup. But as an overview, this handbook will help reference staff aid readers who wish to either do further research or better understand this critical issue. The Board recommends this title for high-school libraries and for public or academic libraries that have little in their collections on gay and lesbian rights.

Zom Zoms

Provides an overview of the dispute over gay and lesbian rights issues; a chronology of important events in the gay and lesbian rights movement from the 19th century to the present; biographical sketches of important figures on various sides of the debate; and a selection of official documents dealing with the status of the movement in the US today. Includes ample resource lists. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews