Out of the Closets and Into the Courts: Legal Opportunity Structure and Gay Rights Litigation (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780472031719)

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.

Author: Ellen Ann Andersen
ISBN-10: 0472031716
ISBN-13: 9780472031719
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Language: English
Published: 10/01/2006
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 9.04h x 6.06w x 0.74d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2007 pg. 187