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Law and the gay rights story : the long search for equal justice in a divided democracy / Walter Frank.

by Frank, Walter M., 1945- author.

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New Brunswick, New Jersey : Rutgers University Press, c2014.

Homosexuality -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History.

Gay rights -- United States -- History.

Stonewall Riots, New York, N.Y., 1969.

Gay liberation movement -- United States -- History.

Gay people -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States -- History.

9780813568713 (hardcover) :

0813568714 (hardcover)

ix, 236 pages ; 24 cm

The freedom struggle (1945-1992). Isolation, oppression, and emergence (1945-1969) ; Stonewall (1969) ; Invisible no longer (1969-1981) ; The AIDS crisis and its legacy (1981-1992) -- The struggle for legal equality (1993 to the present). Three key developments ; The debate over gay rights ; The workplace ; Freedom from violence, freedom to serve ; The public school struggle ; The gay family ; The Movement's critics -- The right to marry. The State constitutional battles ; The Supreme Court confronts same sex marriage.

For much of the 20th century, American gays and lesbians lived in fear that public exposure might cause them to be fired, blackmailed, or even arrested. Today, they are enjoying an unprecedented number of legal rights and protections. Clearly, the tides have shifted, but what caused this enormous sea change? Here, Walter Frank offers an in-depth look at the court cases that were pivotal in establishing gay rights. But he also tells the story of those individuals who were willing to make waves by fighting for those rights, taking enormous personal risks at a time when the tide of public opinion was against them. Frank's accessible style brings complex legal issues down to earth but, as a former litigator, never loses sight of the law's human dimension and the context of the events occurring outside the courtroom. He pays special attention to the constitutional issues surrounding same-sex marriage and closely analyzes the two recent Supreme Court cases addressing the issue. While a strong advocate for gay rights, Frank also examines critiques of the movement, including some coming from the gay community itself. Comprehensive in coverage, the book explains the legal and constitutional issues involved in each of the major goals of the gay rights movement: a safe and healthy school environment, workplace equality, an end to anti-gay violence, relationship recognition, and full integration into all the institutions of the larger society, including marriage and military service. Drawing from extensive archival research and from decades of experience as a practicing litigator, Frank not only provides a vivid history, but also shows where the battle for gay rights might go from here.--From publisher description.

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