Bibliograph

Type

Label

Why marriage?, the history shaping today's debate over gay equality, George Chauncey

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 170-189) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Why marriage?

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

55746536

Responsibility statement

George Chauncey

Review

"George Chauncey, one of our country's preeminent historians of gay life shows how the gay quest for marriage rights resulted from generations of change in marriage itself as well as decades of struggle over gay rights. In an account of the changing place of lesbians and gay men in American society, he recalls the pervasive discrimination faced by lesbians and gay men only a few decades ago, when the federal government fired thousands of gay employees and restaurants were shut down merely for serving them. He shows how the AIDS crisis, the boom in lesbian and gay parenting, and the continuing discrimination faced by gay families - in insurance, pensions, and child custody struggles - led to the campaign for the rights and protections of marriage." "Chauncey provides an analysis of the shifting attitudes of heterosexual Americans toward gay people, from the dramatic growth in acceptance to the many campaigns against gay rights that form the background to today's demand for a constitutional amendment on marriage. He also develops a comparison between the religious opposition to interracial marriage and desegregation just fifty years ago and the sources of opposition to same-sex marriage today. Why Marriage? is an essential book for gay and straight readers alike."--Jacket

Sub title

the history shaping today's debate over gay equality

Table Of Contents

Introduction: Why marriage? -- The legacy of antigay discrimination -- Gay rights, civil rights -- How marriage changed -- Why marriage became a goal -- The present as history

Classification

Creator