Homosexuality and the Law

A fascinating exploration of how the law--as viewed and decided by the courts--often embodies fear and prejudice against homosexuality, and thereby, becomes the instrument for discrimination. This valuable book covers a wide range of subjects, illustrating the extent to which the lives of gay persons are touched by these laws and providing a highly critical examination of the response by the American judicial system to our claims for equal protection under the law. Leading law professors and practicing lawyers address the important legal issues and court decisions relevant to male and female homosexuality--criminal punishment for gay sex acts, employment discrimination, child custody, gay organizational rights, and more.

Contents Foreword Introduction The Legal Arena: Progress for Gay Civil Rights Perceptions of Homosexuality by Justices of the Peace in Colonial Virginia Homosexual Acts and the Constitutional Right to Privacy Employment Discrimination Law and the Rights of Gay Persons The Immigration and Nationality Act and the Rights of Homosexual Aliens Social Attitudes, Legal Standards, and Personal Trauma in Child Custody Cases Public Manifestations of Personal Morality: Limitations on the Use of Solicitation Statutes to Control Homosexual Cruising The Homosexual Person in the Military and in National Security Employment The Emergence of Associational Rights for Homosexual Persons