Gay and Lesbian Americans and Political Participation: A Reference Handbook

By Donald P. Haider-Markel and Raymond A. Smith

A groundbreaking volume surveying the contributions that gay and lesbian Americans have made to the democratic process.

In 1969, when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people first participated as a group in the political process, they faced an imposing array of obstacles. Everything from personal rejection and violence; state anti-sodomy laws; exclusion from the armed forces; and legal discrimination in employment, housing, credit, consumer service, and public accommodations.

Nevertheless, by the end of the millennium, LGBT people had transformed themselves into a well-organized and begrudgingly respected political force. In the process, they dramatically changed laws and attitudes across the nation. This new volume tells the story of the rapid growth and remarkable successes of the LGBT movement--a record that makes it one of the most successful social movements in U.S. history and, ironically, the least studied.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576072568
• ISBN13: 9781576072561
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: ABC-CLIO
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 3.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

a cute little resource

This book is part of a series of all kinds of minorities and their political participation. This is the second great book on gay voter behavior that I've found from Haider-Markel. This book discusses the history of American gay rights, gay voting traits, and gay/lesbian officials in office. Though I found this book in a university library, I think the book would be quite accessible to non-academic readers. You can tell the editors did much numbers-crunching and studies-summarizing. There are no photos or charts here, which is a shame. This is a survey book and those knowledgeable about gay rights or gay studies may be frustrated. For example, presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was an outspoken foe of gay rights, yet this is not mentioned here. In discussing gays in the judicial branch, nothing is mentioned of BJ Cruz, the openly gay Supreme Court justice in Guam. The status of gay rights and gay voters keeps morphing, so I hope the editors keep printing updates of their text. All in all, this was a decent introduction to the topic.