1. Basic documents -- 2. The regulation of lesbian and gay sexuality -- 3. The regulation of lesbian and gay identity: coming out, speaking out, joining in -- 4. Lesbians and gay men in the workplace -- 5. Legal recognition of lesbian and gay relationships -- 6. Lesbian and gay parenting.
"As lesbians and gay men have intensified their fight for equal rights and recognition in American society over the past several decades, issues involving sexual orientation have been hotly contested in social, religious, ethical, legal, and political contexts. The law has proved a primary battleground, for it is the law that establishes the contours of sexuality itself and mediates social questions such as how "open" lesbians and gay men can be about their sexuality, where and under what conditions gay people can work, whether they can marry or adopt children, and so on." "In a fresh attempt to focus attention on this rapidly evolving field, William B. Rubenstein, the director of the ACLU's national Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, designed for Harvard Law School one of the first courses in the United States to examine both the history of the legal treatment of lesbians and gay men and the many current arenas in which related debates are raging. Rubenstein's anthology, Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Law is the first published casebook in this field." "Rubenstein places reported cases and other legal readings in a historical framework and complements the legal texts with selections ranging from fiction and poetry to psychology, sociology, theology, oral history, and journalism. Organized according to the life experience of lesbians and gay men, the book includes chapters entitled, "What we talk about when we talk about sexual orientation," "Having sex/making love," "Coming out/speaking out/joining in," "Working," "Coupling," and "Parenting."" "The result is a pathbreaking documentary reader and an essential sourcebook for anyone interested in gay and lesbian issues."--Jacket.
How do you know you're not gay? -- How do you get to be a homosexual? -- Where do gay people meet? -- How do homosexuals really feel about women? -- How dangerous is the gay world? -- Who's sick and who isn't? -- Are some of your best friends gay? -- Can a homosexual get a fair trial? -- Should you hire a homosexual? -- What does a gay teacher teach your child? -- Does America need a gay president? -- Should your son marry a homosexual? -- Is gay better than straight? -- Is the gay life really gay? -- Appendix. Incidence of homosexuality.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 318-319).
In the beginning -- The ghost of the silence -- Adolescence -- The ghost of fear -- High school -- The ghost of loneliness -- College -- The ghost of false hope -- 1962-64, learning to tell the truth -- 1964-70, learning about friendship -- 1970-80, taking the first steps toward integrity -- 1980-81, facing reality -- 1981, surviving infatuation and isolation -- 1982-83, "It's going to be all right, dad!" -- 1984-90, giving up the ghost! -- 1990-91, one last year of silence -- 1991-93, a ghost no more! -- 1993-94, time for doing justice! -- Appendix: Six letters to the religious right.
Few issues divide our country more dangerously today than does the question of homosexuality and the conflict between the concept of family values and the individual rights of gays and lesbians. Families are divided, careers are ruined, lives are lost - all in the struggle between beliefs founded in tradition and those based on personal freedom. Spearheading the fight against the increasingly vocal homosexual community are the leaders of the so-called "religious right," men and women who denounce gays and lesbians from their pulpits and encourage their followers to enact laws against them. Perhaps no one is better qualified to write about these issues and the conflicts they engender than Mel White. He was born into a conservative Christian home and educated in conservative Christian schools and churches. He met his wife there, and together they raised their children to believe in God and to follow a Christian lifestyle. He worked within the church as a filmmaker and writer, and eventually became a ghostwriter of books, autobiographies, and speeches for such noted figures in the religious right as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Billy Graham. But all that time Mel White had a secret. He was gay. In this remarkable book, Mel White looks at his own life in the church and details the struggles he went through to deny and overcome his own natural sexual desires. And in ways sure to anger many of the people he used to know best, he provides a firsthand look at the teachings and workings of the religious right today, showing how they use their power first to politicize their followers and then, using these politics, to spearhead fund-raising efforts. Most specifically, he examines the methods they use to create a campaign of hate and fear against homosexuals. It is a deeply personal story of torment and triumph, as well as a frightening examination of the anti-homosexual tactics of the religious right and a prophetic look at where they might lead our nation. Both autobiography and personal manifesto, Stranger at the Gate is the eloquent and deeply spiritual story of a gay Christian American determined to tell the truth as he experienced it.