Full Description
Same-sex marriage has become one of the defining social issues in contemporary U.S. politics. State court decisions finding in favor of same-sex relationship equality claims have been central to the issue's ascent from nowhere to near the top of the national political agenda. Same Sex Marriage in the United States tells the story of the legal and cultural shift, its backlash, and how it has evolved over the past 15 years.
This book aids in a classroom examination of the legal, political, and social developments surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage in the United States. While books about same-sex marriage have proliferated in recent years, few, if any, have provided a clear and comprehensive account of the litigation for same-sex marriage, and its successes and failures, as this book does.
Updated through 2013, this edition details the watershed rulings in favor of same-sex marriage: the Supreme Court's June 26th repeal of DOMA, and of Proposition 8 in California, as well as the many states (New Jersey, Illinois, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Nevada among others) where activists and public leaders have made recent strides to ensure that gay couples have an equal right to marry.
Contents
Title Page
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Gay Rights and Same-Sex Marriage: 1950-1990
Same-Sex Marriage, Politics, and Law Around the World
The First Phase of Litigation, Backlash, and Litigation's Legacy: Hawaii, Washington, D.C., Alaska, Vermont, and Massachusetts
Same-Sex Marriage in the Midwest
Continued Progress and Backlash, 2004-2012: The East and South
Continued Progress and Backlash, 2004-2012: The West
Same-Sex Marriage and the Supreme Court
Conclusion
Epilogue
Index
