Legal Inversions: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Politics of the Law
by Didi Herman
Temple University Press, 1995 eISBN: 978-1-4399-0144-1 | Cloth: 978-1-56639-376-8 | Paper: 978-1-56639-377-5 Library of Congress Classification K3242.3.Z9L44 1995 Dewey Decimal Classification 346.013
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Law reform struggles have always been a part of the grassroots lesbian and gay agenda. These critical essays examine the politics of these engagements, of lesbians, gay men, and the law in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. From a wide range of perspectives, the contributors combine new conceptual insights with a concern for the practicalities of political engagements, tackling such vital topics as legal definitions of homosexuality, AIDS activism, and race and sexuality.
Contributors: Katherine Arnup, Susan Boyd, Peter M. Cicchino, Davina Cooper, Bruce R. Deming, Mary Eaton, William F. Flanagan, Leo Flynn, Shelley A. M. Gavigan, Leslie J. Moran, Katherine M. Nicholson, Cynthia Petersen, Ruthann Robson, and the editors.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Didi Herman is Senior Lecturer in Law at Keele University, United Kingdom, and author of Rights of Passage: Struggles for Lesbian and Gay Equality.
Carl Stychin is Lecturer in Law at Keele University, and author of Law's Desire: Sexuality and the Limits of Justice.
REVIEWS
"[A]n interesting and well-balanced collection [that] will clearly stand out in the 'queer studies' market. It deserves to be read by lawyers and non-lawyers alike and offers an excellent comparative perspective on political struggles being fought in contemporary Western societies."
—International Journal of Discrimination and the Law
"This is an important collection of essays focusing on how the law constructs homosexuality and how lesbian and gay rights activists use (or perhaps misuse) available legal categories to argue for the extension of rights to lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons. Existing scholarship on the social construction of homosexuality will be enriched by the critical insights of the legal academics who have contributed to this volume. I highly recommend Legal Inversions to everyone interested in the law's role in shaping the current debate over lesbian and gay rights. I particularly recommend it to American readers who may be unfamiliar with some of the legal battles discussed in essays by authors from Britain, Ireland, and Canada."
—Patricia A. Cain, Professor of Law, University of Iowa
"Both informative and provocative, this book presents a variety of useful perspectives on law's relationship to lesbian and gay communities. Among several outstanding essays, I particularly liked those on lesbian baby boomers and the Massachusetts Gay Civil Rights Bill."
—William Eskeridge, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introductions – Didi Herman and Carl Stychin
Part I: The Subjects of Law
1. The Homosexualization of English Law – Leslie J. Moran
2. The Irish Supreme Court and the Constitution of Male Homosexuality – Leo Flynn
3. Homosexual Unmodified: Speculations on Law's Discourse, Race, and Construction of Sexual Identity – Mary Eaton
Part II: The Implications of Strategy
4. Familial Disputes? Sperm Donors, Lesbian Mothers, and Legal Personhood – Katherine Arnup and Susan Boyd
5. A Parent(ly) Knot: Can Heather Have Two Mommies? – Shelley A.M. Gavigan
6. Envisioning a Lesbian Equality Jurisprudence – Cynthia Peterson
Part III: Law Reform, Struggle, and the State
7. Sex, Lies, and Civil Rights: A Critical History of the Massachusetts Gay Civil Rights Bill – Peter M. Cicchino, Bruce R. Deming, and Katherine M. Nicholson
8. Getting "The Family Right": Legislating Heterosexuality in Britain, 1986-1991 – Davina Cooper and Didi Herman
9. Convictions: Theorizing Lesbians and Criminal Justice – Ruthann Robson
10. People with HIV/AIDS, Gay Men, and Lesbians: Shifting Identities, Shifting Priorities – William F. Flanagan
About the Editors and Contributors
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
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Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Legal Inversions: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Politics of the Law
by Didi Herman
Temple University Press, 1995 eISBN: 978-1-4399-0144-1 Cloth: 978-1-56639-376-8 Paper: 978-1-56639-377-5
Law reform struggles have always been a part of the grassroots lesbian and gay agenda. These critical essays examine the politics of these engagements, of lesbians, gay men, and the law in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. From a wide range of perspectives, the contributors combine new conceptual insights with a concern for the practicalities of political engagements, tackling such vital topics as legal definitions of homosexuality, AIDS activism, and race and sexuality.
Contributors: Katherine Arnup, Susan Boyd, Peter M. Cicchino, Davina Cooper, Bruce R. Deming, Mary Eaton, William F. Flanagan, Leo Flynn, Shelley A. M. Gavigan, Leslie J. Moran, Katherine M. Nicholson, Cynthia Petersen, Ruthann Robson, and the editors.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Didi Herman is Senior Lecturer in Law at Keele University, United Kingdom, and author of Rights of Passage: Struggles for Lesbian and Gay Equality.
Carl Stychin is Lecturer in Law at Keele University, and author of Law's Desire: Sexuality and the Limits of Justice.
REVIEWS
"[A]n interesting and well-balanced collection [that] will clearly stand out in the 'queer studies' market. It deserves to be read by lawyers and non-lawyers alike and offers an excellent comparative perspective on political struggles being fought in contemporary Western societies."
—International Journal of Discrimination and the Law
"This is an important collection of essays focusing on how the law constructs homosexuality and how lesbian and gay rights activists use (or perhaps misuse) available legal categories to argue for the extension of rights to lesbian, bisexual, and gay persons. Existing scholarship on the social construction of homosexuality will be enriched by the critical insights of the legal academics who have contributed to this volume. I highly recommend Legal Inversions to everyone interested in the law's role in shaping the current debate over lesbian and gay rights. I particularly recommend it to American readers who may be unfamiliar with some of the legal battles discussed in essays by authors from Britain, Ireland, and Canada."
—Patricia A. Cain, Professor of Law, University of Iowa
"Both informative and provocative, this book presents a variety of useful perspectives on law's relationship to lesbian and gay communities. Among several outstanding essays, I particularly liked those on lesbian baby boomers and the Massachusetts Gay Civil Rights Bill."
—William Eskeridge, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introductions – Didi Herman and Carl Stychin
Part I: The Subjects of Law
1. The Homosexualization of English Law – Leslie J. Moran
2. The Irish Supreme Court and the Constitution of Male Homosexuality – Leo Flynn
3. Homosexual Unmodified: Speculations on Law's Discourse, Race, and Construction of Sexual Identity – Mary Eaton
Part II: The Implications of Strategy
4. Familial Disputes? Sperm Donors, Lesbian Mothers, and Legal Personhood – Katherine Arnup and Susan Boyd
5. A Parent(ly) Knot: Can Heather Have Two Mommies? – Shelley A.M. Gavigan
6. Envisioning a Lesbian Equality Jurisprudence – Cynthia Peterson
Part III: Law Reform, Struggle, and the State
7. Sex, Lies, and Civil Rights: A Critical History of the Massachusetts Gay Civil Rights Bill – Peter M. Cicchino, Bruce R. Deming, and Katherine M. Nicholson
8. Getting "The Family Right": Legislating Heterosexuality in Britain, 1986-1991 – Davina Cooper and Didi Herman
9. Convictions: Theorizing Lesbians and Criminal Justice – Ruthann Robson
10. People with HIV/AIDS, Gay Men, and Lesbians: Shifting Identities, Shifting Priorities – William F. Flanagan
About the Editors and Contributors
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE