Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for From the Closet to the Courtroom by Michael Bronski - Available

From the Closet to the Courtroom

Five LGBT Rights Lawsuits That Have Changed Our Nation

#4 in series

by Michael Bronski
Carlos A. Ball
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available
The advancement of LGBT rights has occurred through struggles large and small-on the streets, around kitchen tables, and on the Web. Lawsuits have also played a vital role in propelling the movement forward, and behind every case is a human story: a landlord in New York seeks to evict a gay man from his home after his partner of ten years dies of AIDS; school officials in Wisconsin look the other way as a gay teenager is repeatedly and viciously harassed by other students; a lesbian couple appears unexpectedly at a clerk's office in Hawaii seeking a marriage license.
Engaging and largely untold, From the Closet to the Courtroom explores how five pivotal lawsuits have altered LGBT history. Beginning each case narrative at the center-with the litigants and their lawyers-law professor Carlos Ball follows the stories behind each crucial lawsuit. He traces the parties from their communities to the courtroom, while deftly weaving in rich sociohistorical context and analyzing the lasting legal and political impact of each judicial outcome.
Over the last twenty years, no group of attorneys has helped to transform this country more than LGBT rights lawyers, and surprisingly, their collective accomplishments have received relatively little attention. Ball remedies that by exploring how a band of largely unheralded civil rights lawyers have attained remarkable legal victories through skill, creativity, and perseverance.
In this richly layered and multifaceted account, Ball vividly documents how these judicial victories have significantly altered LGBT lives today in ways that were unimaginable only a generation ago.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Queer Ideas/Queer Action

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 1, 2010

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780807000793

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780807000793
      • File size: 351 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 22, 2010
      Ball (The Morality of Gay Rights
      ), Rutgers professor of law, offers an in-depth analysis of the five lawsuits that have moved America closer to full legal equality for LGBT people. The groundbreaking legal decisions include Nabozny
      v. Podlesny
      (1996), in which a seventh-grader received such brutal bullying and beatings that he required abdominal surgery successfully sued his school for discrimination in refusing to protect him, after they claimed the brutal treatment was his fault because he was openly gay, and Romer
      v. Evans
      (also 1996), in which a lesbian policewoman's fellow officers harassed her and ignored her calls for backup in dangerous situations. Ball does an excellent job of showcasing the stories of the lawyers, activists, and defendants involved. He points out that although these cases were essential to get the process started, until marriage equality is protected under federal law and “don't ask, don't tell” is repealed, there is yet a long way to go. The tone of this book sets it apart from similar studies; Ball approaches his subject with vigor and sensitivity and makes a poignant plea for justice.

    • Library Journal

      August 1, 2010

      Ball (law, Rutgers Univ.; The Morality of Gay Rights), who's written several books and articles on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, here describes and analyzes five major state and federal court cases (on family, harassment, discrimination, sexual acts, and marriage) involving LGBT rights. Included are the legal frameworks, legal arguments, plaintiffs and major players involved, resulting decisions, and impact of cases. He notes that these lawsuits have "helped to make LGBT people visible by forcing society to grapple with both their existence and their aspirations." Though lesser known than the progression of cases that established many civil rights for African Americans, a strategic series of cases are being pursued by lawyers for LGBT plaintiffs and organizations. VERDICT While other recent books on LGBT court cases offer broader coverage, such as Susan Gluck Mezey's Queers in Court: Gay Rights, Law and Public Policy, no other book covers this particular set of cases. This will be of particular interest as the California gay marriage case wends its way through the courts and "don't ask, don't tell" features prominently in the news.--Mary Jane Brustman, Univ. at Albany Libs., NY

      Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading