Tesya has reasons to feel hopeful after leaving her last job, where she was subjected to a series of anonymous hate crimes. Now she is back home in London to start a new lecturing position, and has begun an exciting, if tumultuous, love affair with the enigmatic Holly. But this idyllic new start quickly sours. Tesya finds herself victimized again at work by an unknown assailant, who subjects her to an insidious, sustained race hate crime. As her paranoia mounts, Tesya finds herself yearning for the most elemental desires: love, acceptance, and sanctuary. Her assailant, meanwhile, is recording his manifesto, and plotting his next steps. Inspired by the author's personal experiences of hate crime and bookended with essays which contextualise the story within a lifetime of microaggressions, Lessons in Love and Other Crimes is a heart-breaking, hopeful, and compulsively readable novel about the most quotidian of crimes.

Now You See It, Richard Dyer's groundbreaking study of films by and about lesbians and gay men, has been revised for a second edition, and features an introduction by Juliane Pidduck outlining developments in lesbian and gay cinema since 1990. Now You See It examines familiar titles such as Girls in Uniform, Un Chant D'Amour, and Word Is Out, in their lesbian / gay context as well as bringing to light many other forgotten but remarkable films. Each film is examined in detail in relation to both film type and tradition and the sexual subculture in which it was made.
Now You See It is also a case study in the dynamics of lesbian and gay cultural production. These films were formed from the filmic and sub-cultural images, assumptions and styles available to lesbians and gay men which both made the films possible and delimited the forms they could take and what they could say. They carry a special charge for lesbians and gay men seeking both to break free from and be heard in the languages of a homophobic society.

This book explores the gender issues associated with international migration in dual career households. Adopting a feminist approach, the author links research in economics, sociology, management and business and human geography to explore post-industrial managerial and professional careers. Particular emphasis is placed on the way in which social mobility and spatial mobility are entwined.
The author explores the location and mobility decisions of dual career households, examining their personal and household biographies as well as published statistics.
The chapters examine the following aspects of the subject:
Of essential interest to scholars of human geography, sociology and gender studies, this book will also interest those working in organizational, migration and urban studies.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203470753

Outstanding range of curated materials showing the development of transgender studies Includes historical perspective from 1910 up to the latest research Interdisciplinary in nature Accurate account of theoretical interventions in the field * The definitive volume in the field of transgender studies and history of sexuality. There is no other book out there like this one * Contains classic essays and the most modern pieces available in the field * The editors are trans celebrities and have broad appeal in the transgender communities in the US and UK

In the tradition of Persig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Hagerty weaves a philosophy of gay ontology -- the nature of being, or reality -- around his own life experiences. He traces individual gay existence from its origin ("Homosexuality precedes sexuality") through three ordinations to an ideal in which "the gay man perceives and takes responsibility for his inherent station of High Priest..".

Drawing from the work of Sartre (Being and Nothingness), Hagerty builds a functional philosophy/religion with gay pride at its heart.

Since the publication of Gender in Trouble in 1990, Judith Butler has revolutionised our understanding of identities and the ways in which they are constructed. This volume examines her critical thought through key texts, touching upon such issues as:
*the subject
*gender
*sex
*language
*the psyche.
With clear discussions of the context and impact of Butler's work and an extensive guide to further reading, this book offers an excellent introduction to one of the most influential critical thinkers writing today.

Related link: http://www.literature.routledge.com/liter ature/rct/default.html
eBook available with sample pages: 0203118642

Homophobia hurts kids. Explore ways to minimize that trauma!This book illustrates the ways that children growing up to be gay are harmed by homophobia before anyone, including themselves, even knows they are gay. This compelling and sympathetic volume describes many simple ways that these children can be helped to understand that they can grow up to lead normal lives, with hopes and dreams for their futures. How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community brings home the voices of these children. They describe their experiences to show how they came to the frightening recognition that they are part of a group held in disregard by the rest of society, even sometimes by their own families.Dr. Jean M. Baker, the author of How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community is a clinical psychologist and the mother of two gay sons. In this book she shares her experience as both psychologist and mother to show how the myths and fallacies about homosexuality have influenced parents, schools, churches, and lawmakers to send children the cruel message that if they are gay, they are not normal and will not be able to lead normal lives. In this unique volume you'll find: a chapter on identity development, following the Eriksonian model interviews with high school students who are self-identified as gay firsthand descriptions of the harassment and victimization of those perceived as gay in schools research on how victimization at school affects gay youths a discussion of the relatively new phenomenon of gay/straight alliances (gay support groups or clubs) a chapter on transgender identity with interviews with four transsexual persons who describe their personal childhood experiences and their transition process The focus of How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community, centering on the social and familial experiences of children who will grow up to be gay but have not yet come to that realization, is unique. But beyond that, this book also explains how homophobia affects the attitudes of non-gay children by leading them to believe that it is acceptable to mistreat homosexuals. Finally, specific suggestions are made for changes in parenting and changes in school/classroom practices that could help prevent the harm that is inflicted upon so many of our gay children. Everyone who comes in contact with children on their way to becoming gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender adults needs to read this book!

Impossible Bodies investigates issues of ethnicity, gender and sexuality at the margins of contemporary Hollywood. Examining stars from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood to Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Lopez, Chris Holmlund focuses on actors whose physique or appearance marks them as unusual or exceptional, and yet who occupy key and revealing positions in today's mainstream cinema. Exploring a range of genres and considering both stars and their sidekicks, Holmlund examines ways in which Hollywood accommodates - or doesn't - a variety of 'impossible bodies' from the 'outrageous' physiques of Dolph Lundgren and Dolly Parton, to the almost invisible bodies of Asian-Americans, Latinas and older actors. From the Pumping Iron documentaries to The Quick and the Dead and Boys on the Side, Holmlund traces the broad shifts and startling disjunctures in what count as desirable images of masculinity and femininity in mainstream cinema.
From lesbian killers to Swedes who never play Swedes, Impossible Bodies considers how representations of ethnicity and race, gender and sexuality are played out in contemporary Hollywood films, and shows how popular cinema reflects and communicates contemporary values for audiences.

Impossible Bodies investigates issues of ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Hollywood. Examining stars from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood, to Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Lopez, Chris Holmlund focuses on actors whose physique or appearance marks them as unusual or exceptional, and yet who occupy key and revealing positions in today's mainstream cinema.
Exploring a range of genres and considering both stars and their sidekicks, Holmlund examines ways in which Hollywood accommodates - or doesn't - a variety of 'impossible' bodies, from the 'outrageous' physiques of Dolph Lundgren and Dolly Parton, to the almost-invisible bodies of Asian-Americans, Latinas and older actors. From the Pumping Iron documentaries to The Quick and the Dead and Boys on the Side, Holmlund traces the broad shifts and startling disjunctures in what count as desirable images of masculinity and feminity in mainstream cinema.
From lesbian killers to Swedes who never play Swedes, Impossible Bodies considers how representations of ethnicity and race, gender and sexuality are played out in contemporary Hollywood films, and shows how popular cinema reflects and communicates contemporary values for audiences.

Series Information:
Routledge Research in Gender and Society

Men, Masculinities and Intimate Partner Violence examines how gender and other social identities and inequalities shape experiences of, and responses to, violence in intimate relationships. It provides new insights into men as both perpetrators and victims of violence, as well as on how to involve men and boys in anti-violence work. The chapters explore partner violence from the perspectives of researchers, therapists, activists, organisations, media as well as men of different background and sexual orientation. Highlighting the distinct and ambivalent ways we relate to violence and masculinity, this timely volume provides nuanced approaches to men, masculinity and intimate partner violence in various societies in the global North and South. This book foregrounds scholarship on men and masculinities in the context of intimate partner violence. By doing so, it revitalises feminist theorising and research on partner abuse, and brings together the fields of masculinity studies and studies of intimate partner violence. The book will be a vital resource for students and scholars in criminology, gender studies, psychology, social work and sociology, as well as those working with men and boys.

How do Asian cultures construct queer genders, sexualities, and eroticism?Gay and Lesbian Asia demonstrates the astonishing diversity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered identities in countries including Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Although many Asian cultures borrow the language of the West when discussing queerness, the attitudes, relationships, and roles described are quite different. Gay and Lesbian Asia discusses cultural issues as well as the unique political position of gays in Asian societies. For example, the Thai concept of phet--eroticized gender--is quite different from the Western view that classifies people by the sex of the partners they desire, not by their level of masculine or feminine traits. Similarly, some gay and lesbian Chinese people "come home" rather than "come out." By bringing their partners into the extended family, they can maintain the filial relationships that define them while being able to love whom they choose. The essays in Gay and Lesbian Asia cover a broad range of approaches and subjects: globalization theory exploring the political and cultural ramifications of the Western gay identity movement Foucauldian discourse on sexuality and sharply distinct erotic cultures political and cultural analyses of gay and lesbian comradeship and filial relationships in Chinese societies research on the "T" and "po" lesbians (similar to butch and femme) in Malaysian bars the formation of gay cybercommunities in Asia the effects of class distinctions on Jakarta lesbians studies of local historical forms of homoeroticism and transgenderismGay and Lesbian Asia continues Haworth's landmark series of books on gay and lesbian issues in Asia and Australia. Along with Tongzhi: Politics of Same-Sex Eroticism in Chinese Societies; Queer Asian Cinema; Multicultural Queer: Australian Narratives; Gays and Lesbians in Asia and the Pacific; and Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys: Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand, this book presents some of the most original, powerful current thought available on cultural, political, sexual, and gender issues for queer subcultures within Asian cultures.

This book is both a retrospective history of the gay community's use of electronic media as a way of networking and creating a sense of community, and an examination of the current situation, an analysis and critical assessment of gay/lesbian electronic media. Keith and Johnson use original interviews and oral history to delineate the place of electronic media in the lives of this increasingly visible and vocal minority in America.

Tongzhi: Politics of Same-Sex Eroticism in Chinese Societies examines Chinese societies where the family-kinship system, rather than sexuality, is taken as the basis of an individual's identity. With Tongzhi, you will come to understand the variations of same-sex erotica in different Chinese societies. Examining past and present treatment of the subject, including instances of discrimination against homosexuals, Tongzhi explores same-sex eroticism in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and explains the variations of categories and experiences of tongzhi in these countries. Just what is Tongzhi?Tongzhi is the most popular contemporary Chinese word for lesbians, bisexuals, and gay people. The word, which has very positive historical references, was a Chinese translation from the Soviet communist term comrade. It was appropriated by a Hong Kong gay activist in 1989 for the first Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in Hong Kong by its organizers, who wanted to employ an indigenous representation of same-sex eroticism. The term 'homosexual'was inappropriate because of its use as a medical term denoting sickness and pathology. Within a few years, tongzhi became a widely used term in Hong Kong and Taiwan and is often used interchangeably with the English term gay. But terms such as gay, lesbian, and queer are Anglo-Saxon in origin, with specific histories that cannot capture the indigenous features of Chinese same-sex relationships. Tongzhi implies and includes much more. S/Mers, transvestites, and other fetishists who are members of the Chinese sexual counterculture who may be quite heterosexual are also tongzhi. And the term has meaning beyond the sexual: it embodies a strong sentiment for integrating the sexual (legitimizing same-sex love), the political (sharing the goals of fighting heterosexism) and the cultural (reappropriating their Chinese identity). Tongzhi brings you fascinating insight into: the history of same-sex eroticism in China coming out in Chinese society how colonialism has affected sexual nonconformists in this region racial and sexual dynamics in Colonial Hong Kong the cultural politics of being a tomboy/girl in modern Hong Kong "queering the mainstream" with tongzhi identity politics sexual/cultural diversities and differences among contemporary Chinese societies . . . and much more Tongzhi shows how culture influences identity and demonstrates how you can develop relevant strategies for successful activist movements. Discussing political movements for gay/lesbian/bisexual rights and the societal implications of same-sex eroticism, this intelligent book provides you with a clear understanding of the attitudes toward and meanings of being tongzhi today.

The same-sex marriage debate is currently a central preoccupation of Western society, and both those for and against it have their points of view. After examining religious and social attitudes toward homosexuality and marriage throughout history, the author examines the strongest arguments on both sides of this highly contested issue. Written in an objective manner, readers are presented with both sides of the debate, to enable them to form their own opinions. Written for students and the general public, the work provides historical and cultural context for examining the issue of same-sex marriage. Included are leading spokespeople for both positions, a discussion of the role of the media, as well as a concluding chapter discussing where the issue seems to be heading, based on present trends that both favour or bode ill for the future of same-sex marriage. An annotated bibliography lists print and electronic resources for those seeking additional information.

Vital information on family services, custody, and access rights for gay parents!Queer Families, Common Agendas: Gay People, Lesbians, and Family Values examines the real life experience of those affected by current laws and policies regarding homosexual families. The book will help policy makers, lawyers, social workers, and the general public better understand these families. Here you will be able to compare the progress of policy in the U.S. and Canada for gay and lesbian parents and their children and explore relevant legal approaches in the two countries. In Queer Families, Common Agendas: Gay People, Lesbians, and Family Values, a range of strategies for advancing the rights of sexual minority parents are considered for legal feasibility and political viability. You will gain insight into the contradictions in policies and practices that ultimately disadvantage children based on their family origins, and you will discover alternative approaches for improved services to homosexual families. Queer Families, Common Agendas explores: family law and protection of women-headed households legal definitions of motherhood and fatherhood in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom family and adoption idealogies concerning gay families and their rights to adopt new ways to make social services responsive to minority families the lesbian and gay "agenda" the value of family and the family of values--as opposed to the worn-out phrase "family values" Queer Families, Common Agendas serves as a primer to assist you in understanding the legal struggles that lesbian and gay families are facing today. You will explore concerns about family law, protection of women-headed households, motherhood, fatherhood, adoption and family ideology, and how to make social services responsive to gay and lesbian families. This excellent reference provides you with the necessary background and techniques to create services that are responsive and effective with sexual minority families.

Working with Gay Men and Lesbians in Private Psychotherapy Practice is written for private practitioners solely by private practice clinicians who specialize in the treatment of gay men or lesbians. Focusing on numerous clinical issues that gays and lesbians often deal with, Working with Gay Men and Lesbians in Private Psychotherapy Practice also offers you proven guidance for maintaining and promoting your psychotherapy practice as a business. You will explore issues such as whether the therapist should disclose her/his sexual orientation, and how the therapist should address the degree to which internalized stigma about sexual orientation may impact the client's concerns about the process of therapy in general. This insightful volume also focuses on the special complexities introduced to psychotherapy by managed care.You'll find detailed, practical information about: a strategic plan for establishing, marketing, and developing a private practice in l/g/b psychology staying abreast of the latest research and trends in gay/lesbian mental health treatment planning with gay and lesbian clients lesbian/gay couples counseling multiple identity and gender issues particular to culture and ethnicity boundary issues Working with Gay Men and Lesbians in Private Psychotherapy Practice tackles how to therapeutically respond to the issues of gay men and lesbians. The practical strategies and specific suggestions can be directly incorporated into your work with gay and lesbian clients to ensure your success in confronting the specific issues and challenges they face.

Gay and Lesbian Literature Since World War II chronicles the multifaceted explosion of gay and lesbian writing that has taken place in the second half of the twentieth century. Encompassing a wide range of subject matter and a balance of gay and lesbian concerns, it includes work by established scholars as well as young theoreticians and archivists who have initiated new areas of investigation. The contributors'examinations of this rich literary period make it easy to view the half-century from 1948 to 1998 as the Queer Renaissance. Included in Gay and Lesbian Literature Since World War II are critical and social analyses of literary movements, novels, short fiction, periodicals, and poetry as well as a look at the challenges of establishing a repository for lesbian cultural history. Specific chapters in this groundbreaking work trace the development of gay poetry in America after World War II; examine how AIDS is represented in the first four Latino novels to deal with the subject matter; and chronicle the birth of lesbian-feminist publishing in the 1970s--showing how it created a flourishing gay literature in the 1980s and 1990s. Other chapters: outline the history of The Ladder from its initial publication in 1956 as the official vehicle of the Daughters of Bilitis to its final issue as a privately published literary magazine in 1972 examine Baldwin's 1962 novel Another Country and discuss the complicated critical history of this work and its relation to Baldwin's literary reputation--racial, sexual, and political factors are taken into account chart how Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote, and The House of Breath, by William Goyen, reveal contradictory genderings of male homosexuality--suggesting an absence of a unified model of mid-twentieth-century male homosexuality argue that the 1976 novel Lover, by Bertha Harris, can be considered an exemplary novel within discussions of both postmodern fiction and lesbian theory. (The author calls for Harris to be added to the group of writers such as Wittig, Anzald?a, Lorde, and Winterson, who are discussed within the context of a postmodern lesbian narrative.) examine the short fiction of Canadian lesbian novelist Jane Rule in an effort to shed light on lesbian creative practice in the homophobic climate of postwar North America argue for an understanding of Dale Peck's novel Martin and John as an attempt to link two apparently different processes of import to contemporary male subjects through examination of the novel alongside selected passages from Nietzsche and Freud focus on the pragmatic issues of developing and maintaining accessible research venues from which to cultivate the study of racial and cultural diversity in lesbian lives Document the history of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, one of the first lesbian-specific collections in the world, from its birth in the early 1970s to the present.

'Transition has not been something linear for me, my joy has come in seasons.' Now, more than ever, trans people deserve to hear stories of joy and hope, where being trans doesn't have to be defined by fear and dysphoria, but can be experienced through courage, freedom, and the love and acceptance of their chosen families. Through a series of uplifting, generous and beautifully crafted vignettes, T. C. Oakes-Monger gently leads you through the cycle of the seasons - beginning in Autumn and the shedding of leaves and identity, moving through the darkness of Winter, its cold days, and the reality of daily life, into Spring, newness, and change, and ending with the joy of long Summer days and being out and proud - and invites you to find similar moments of joy in your life. Celebratory and empowering, these stories are a reminder of the power joy can bring.

You may be familiar with the tremendous life achievements of Jose Sarria, an integral player in the gay rights movement, but never before have you heard the intimate details of his incredible life as they are portrayed here. In The Empress Is a Man: Stories from the Life of Jose Sarria (winner of the Lammy Award in the transgender category), Michael Gorman exposes Sarria s life in a frank manner and with a unique storytelling ability that simultaneously causes amusement and sadness. Sarria s amazing life story tells of his perserverance to advance the cause of equality for gay citizens.At a time when gays were arrested, institutionalized, and castrated, Sarria did not try to hide his beliefs and convictions. Sarria was ahead of his time, becoming a significant figure in gay history and culture. You ll find The Empress Is a Man fascinating as you read about the life of this truly courageous, outrageous, and remarkable man. Some of Sarria s experiences and achievements you ll read about include: being the first openly gay male to run for political office being one of America s most important female impersonators entertaining throughout the world, live and on film postitively affecting the gay community founding an extremely successful charity fundraising organization being featured in a PBS documentary serving in the Army in The Battle of the Bulge in WWIIUntil recently, gay and lesbian stories were published in very limited venues and often at great personal risk, forcing knowledge of this history to be passed down orally. The Empress Is a Man reflects this tradition by telling much of the story in Sarria s own words. Adding to the enjoyment and originality of this book is a structure similar to the dramatic style of a play or novel. Each section ends with an exciting climax, although the book is chronological in order. The Empress Is a Man is an untraditional book about an untraditional man.

Soon to be a major motion picture, this action-filled adventure of four fascinating people takes place during one of the most thrilling chapters of American history: the late 19th century transition from the Wild West to the Age of Technology. There's the narrator of our story, Eadweard Muybridge, the eccentric and mysterious photographer who conquers staggering obstacles to produce the first motion pictures; his young wife, Flora, one of the greatest beauties of San Francisco - and she knows it; Major Harry Larkyns, the English con artist who steals her heart and pays the ultimate price; and Governor Leland Stanford, the richest and most powerful businessman in the nation, who is both Muybridge's greatest supporter and the engine of his most devastating downfall. Based on a true story People remember Muybridge for his high-speed photographs of a trotting horse, which settled the long-running dispute over whether all four hooves ever leave the ground at the same time. Few remember that those photos were just a beginning for Muybridge. Through trials and tragedy he developed the technology to take an extended series of photos which became the first movies. Today he is an icon of "steampunk," the burgeoning 21st century artistic and literary movement that pays homage to Victorian-era technology. Muybridge had a stormy relationship with his patron, rail tycoon Stanford. Their collaboration ended in bitter betryal and a series of disastrous lawsuits. At the peak of fame, Muybridge married Flora, a stunning beauty half his age, who betrayed him in an affair with a dashing young con artist, Major Larkyns. Muybridge murdered Larkyns in cold blood, and a spectacular "trial of the century" ended in his astonishing acquittal. Freezing Time tells this story in the form of an historical novel. While maintaining accuracy and truth about Muybridge's life and work, Freezing Time sets him into a dramatic context that is compelling to readers who may know little about him or his photography. The exciting adventure of his life and times as depicted in Freezing Time is like Indiana Jones meets The Time Machine mixed with elements of Jack The Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, and True Grit.

Focusing on the pragmatic aspects of social work with gay and lesbian persons, this book offers a knowledge base of practice that will better prepare students and practitioners for working more competently and effectively with lesbians and gay men. Written by scholars and practitioners in the social work profession, Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons teaches you how to develop practice approaches that are sensitive to issues of sexual orientation as well as how to work with this population in the contexts of practice with individuals, couples, families, groups, communities, and organizations. The book's sensible strategies and case studies provide you with critical information that will help you deal with homophobia and heterocentrism and enact a professional commitment to pursuing economic and social equality for diverse and at-risk client populations.A foundation-level text on social work practice with gays and lesbians, this book is designed to provide social work students, academics, and practitioners with an understanding of the values and ethics fundamental to practice with this group of clients. Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons summarizes the variety of issues, dynamics, and techniques required to work effectively with gay and lesbian clients who are at different points in their development and life cycles. To further help you in your practice, it also discusses: providing skilled professional assistance to gay victims of hate crimes how homophobia can prevent lesbians and gay men from receiving adequate services the obstacles social workers sometimes face when trying to integrate the core set of professional values and ethical principles into their practice practitioner self-disclosure regarding sexual identity developmental milestones for lesbian and gay persons alcohol and substance abuse among lesbians family therapy concepts of fusion and enmeshment same gender socialization assessing issues of sexual expressionCounselors, social workers, and students and academics in gay and lesbian studies will find that Foundations of Social Work Practice with Lesbian and Gay Persons greatly expands the social work knowledge base to disrupt the impact of institutional, individualized, and internal homophobia on social workers, their clients, and the institutions in which social workers practice. Its flexible and creative treatment approaches to therapy with sexual minorities are sure to help you sensitize your therapeutic techniques and improve the quality of care you deliver.

Winner of the 2010 Distinguished Book Award from the American Psychological Association's 44th Division (the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues) An in-depth, transnational primer on the current state of same-sex marriage post legalization The summer of 2008 was the summer of love and commitment for gays and lesbians in the United States. Thousands of same-sex couples stood in line for wedding licenses all over California in the first few days after same-sex marriage was legalized. On the other side of the country, Massachusetts, the very first state to give gay couples marriage rights, took the last step to full equality by allowing same-sex couples from other states to marry there as well. These happy times for same-sex couples were the hallmark of true equality for some, yet others questioned whether the very bedrock of society was crumbling. What would this new step portend? In order to find out the impact of same-sex marriage, M. V. Lee Badgett traveled to a land where it has been legal for same-sex couples to marry since 2001: the Netherlands. Badgett interviews gay couples to find out how this step has affected their lives. We learn about the often surprising changes to their relationships, the reactions of their families, and work colleagues. Moreover, Badgett is interested in the ways that the institution itself has been altered for the larger society. How has the concept of marriage changed? When Gay People Get Married gives readers a primer on the current state of the same-sex marriage debate, and a new way of framing the issue that provides valuable new insights into the political, social, and personal stakes involved. The experiences of other countries and these pioneering American states serve as a crystal ball as we grapple with this polarizing issue in the American context. The evidence shows both that marriage changes gay people more than gay people change marriage, and that it is the most liberal countries and states making the first move to recognize gay couples. In the end, Badgett compellingly shows that allowing gay couples to marry does not destroy the institution of marriage and that many gay couples do benefit, in expected as well as surprising ways, from the legal, social, and political rights that the institution offers.

A genetic basis for homosexuality has been all but proved, yet Darwinism, the most widely accepted evolutionary theory, emphasises successful reproduction. How do we explain a lifetime preference for non-reproductive sex?
Whilst social constructionism offers explanations in terms of social learning and cultural preferences, the body of evidence for a genetic predisposition to homosexuality grows. Social learning argues that homosexual sex is merely misdirected and therefore futile, but far from dying out it continues through the ages and is found in different cultures.
What if there was an evolutionary advantage to homosexuality? Straight Science? Homosexuality, Evolution and Adaptation dares to ask such questions.

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