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This book investigates the development and the political implications of the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States. Oldmixon, Blackstone, and Watson aim to understand and explain the role of this movement in pluralistic, contemporary political life in the United States. Highlighting the cultural narrative, the book considers how the rights movement emerged and developed historically, at the mass level, and in the context of political institutions.
Queer Politics is a comprehensive, much-needed text for LGBT politics classes.
List of contents
1. Introduction to the Politics of Culture and Identity. 2. Science, Sexuality, and Democracy. 3. Politicizing an Identity. 4. Public Attitudes on LGBT Rights. 5. LGBT Voters and Representation. 6. Local, State, and National Policymaking. 7. Policy in Public Space. 8. Policy in Private Space. 9. LGBT Rights in Comparative Perspective. 10. Conclusion: Looking Forward.
About the author
Elizabeth A. Oldmixon is associate professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas, and a fellow at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies Summer Institute, Brandeis University. She is author of
Uncompromising Positions: God, Sex, and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as numerous articles on cultural issues and legislative policymaking.
Bethany Blackstone is assistant professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas. Her research interests include judicial decision making, the separation of powers, civil rights, and elite and public attitudes toward courts. Her work has appeared in the
Journal of Politics,
Law & Society Review, and
Politics and Religion.
Wendy L. Watson is a lecturer in Political Science at the University of North Texas. She is the co-editor (with Neal Devins) of
Federal Abortion Politics: A Documentary History and the author of "Forensic DNA Analysis" (in the forthcoming edited volume
Privacy in the Digital Age: 21st-Century Challenges to the Fourth Amendment). Her research interests include equal access to the courts, the interaction between politics and constitutional law, and pedagogy.
Summary
In a very short time, LGBTQ issues have moved from the margins to the mainstream of American political life. The 1969 Stonewall Riots are commonly considered the start of the modern gay rights movement in the United States and within a few short years the number of gay groups and gay magazines precipitously increased. As gay civil society expanded, homosexuality transformed from a social identity to a political identity. On the basis of that identity, gay and lesbian activists engaged the political system to secure social and political rights in direct competition with religious traditionalism.
This book investigates the development and the political implications of the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States. Oldmixon, Blackstone, and Watson aim to understand and explain the role of this movement in pluralistic, contemporary political life in the United States. Highlighting the cultural narrative, the book considers how the rights movement emerged and developed historically, at the mass level, and in the context of political institutions. First examining the science of sexuality, the book then discusses the development of an equal rights movement and the public’s attitudes on gays and lesbians. LGBTQ voting and representation, policies that involve gay rights, and a comparative perspective are also addressed. The book makes sure to not only examine lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights, but to also include discussion of transgender rights and the broader queer community.
Queer Politics is a comprehensive, much-needed text for LGBTQ politics classes. Using the lens of cultural theory, the book examines how exactly such a marginalized group moved from the fringes to the mainstream of American political life.
