In this Book
- Out of the Closets and into the Courts: Legal Opportunity Structure and Gay Rights Litigation
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: University of Michigan Press
summary
Over the past 30 years, the gay rights movement has moved from the margins to the center of American politics, sparking debate from bedroom to boardroom to battlefield. Out of the Closets and into the Courts analyzes the most recent gay rights cases, and explores the complex relationship between litigation and social change. Ellen Andersen describes what happens when these cases—many overseen by the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the nation's oldest and largest gay rights defense firm—enter the courtroom, and explains why they have met with mixed success.
Out of the Closets and into the Courts explores both the promise and the limits of using legal mobilization to effect social change. Crossing disciplinary boundaries, Ellen Andersen draws on the accumulated knowledge of political science, law, and sociology to explain the origins and outcomes of gay rights litigation. The resulting book is essential reading for anyone interested in gay rights, legal change, and social movements.
Out of the Closets and into the Courts explores both the promise and the limits of using legal mobilization to effect social change. Crossing disciplinary boundaries, Ellen Andersen draws on the accumulated knowledge of political science, law, and sociology to explain the origins and outcomes of gay rights litigation. The resulting book is essential reading for anyone interested in gay rights, legal change, and social movements.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- List of Figures
- p. ix
- List of Tables
- p. x
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xi-xiii
- 5 Sodomy Reform from Bowers to Lawrence
- pp. 98-142
- 7 The Case of Same-Sex Marriage
- pp. 175-202
- 8 LOS and Legal Change
- pp. 203-218
- Afterword: The Courts and Social Change
- pp. 219-240
- References
- pp. 269-282
- Table of Cases
- pp. 283-288
Additional Information
ISBN
9780472021574
Related ISBN(s)
9780472031719, 9780472113972
MARC Record
OCLC
646794812
Pages
312
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No