Private Lives, Public Conflicts

by Button, James W.; Rienzo, Barbara Ann, Ph.D.; Wald, Kenneth D.

• ISBN13: 9781568022796
• ISBN10: 1568022794
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-06-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

Should an employer be required to cover a gay employee's partner under its insurance plan? Do schools have a responsibility to protect gay students from harassment and violence? Is public safety compromised if police and fire departments hire openly gay employees? These are a few of the contentious questions at the center of the struggle for -- and against -- gay rights in cities large and small across the country.

Addressing some of the most controversial issues of our era, Private Lives, Public Conflicts examines the on-going political debate surrounding gay rights. The book analyzes the politics of enacting gay rights policies; the impact of gay rights laws on public schools, the police, and businesses; and the political opposition to this movement.

Based on a comprehensive national survey and an intensive study of five diverse U.S. cities, the authors provide the first systematic analysis of the politics of gay and lesbian rights at the local level.

By interviewing activists and officials on both sides of the battles, the authors present a clear pictu

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Preface	xiii
Identity Politics, Law, and Policy Innovation	1	(22)
Identity Politics	4	(6)
Law and Social Change	10	(4)
Models of Policy Adoption	14	(3)
The Nature and Scope of This Study	17	(6)
The Contemporary Gay Political Movement	23	(35)
Iowa City: A University Town	28	(4)
Philadelphia: Brotherly Love?	32	(6)
Raleigh: ``This Is the South''	38	(4)
Santa Cruz: Little San Francisco	42	(4)
Cincinnati: City without Sin?	46	(12)
The Politics of Gay Rights Laws	58	(45)
The Rationale for the Legal Protection for Gays	59	(4)
Awakenings: The First Legal Protections	63	(2)
East Lansing as the First City	65	(3)
The Backlash to Gay Rights	68	(2)
The 1980s: Political Accommodation and Progress	70	(3)
An Upsurge in the 1990s	73	(3)
The Nature and Diversity of Communities with Discrimination Laws	76	(6)
The Political Mobilization of Gays	82	(5)
Gay Allies and the Peculiar Case of Blacks	87	(4)
Liberal Churches	91	(2)
Students, Universities, and the Political Opportunity Structure	93	(3)
The Role of the Media	96	(1)
Conclusion	97	(6)
The Impact of Antidiscrimination Legislation: What Difference Does It Make?	103	(36)
The Nature and Scope of Antidiscrimination Legislation	104	(4)
The Issue of Enforcement	108	(4)
Formal Complaints of Discrimination	112	(4)
The Effects of Antidiscrimination Legislation on Lesbians and Gay Men	116	(4)
The Effects of Antidiscrimination Legislation on the Police	120	(4)
The Impact of Gay Rights Legislation on Business	124	(5)
Educational, Legitimation, and Attitudinal Influences	129	(3)
Limitations of the Law	132	(1)
Conclusion	133	(6)
The Schools and Gay and Lesbian Youth	139	(34)
Why Address Sexual Orientation Issues in School?	140	(2)
Recommendations for School-Based Intervention	142	(4)
The Status of School-Based Programs	146	(2)
Barriers to the Development of School-Based Programs	148	(4)
Factors That Encourage School-Based Programs	152	(15)
Conclusion	167	(6)
The Opposition: Protectors of Traditional Values	173	(27)
The Extent of Opposition and Controversy	173	(2)
Who Opposed Gay Rights?	175	(2)
The Religious Community and Gay Rights	177	(10)
The Business Community	187	(2)
The Organization of the Opposition	189	(5)
Themes in the Opposition Campaign	194	(3)
Conclusion	197	(3)
Gay Rights and American Politics	200	(15)
Identity Politics	201	(3)
Models of Policy Innovation	204	(4)
Reconsidering Law as an Instrument of Social Change	208	(3)
Future Outlook	211	(4)
Appendix: Survey Methodology	215	(4)
Index	219	(5)
About the Authors	224