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Coming Out: Decision-Making In State And Federal Sodomy Cases, Susan Ayres
Coming Out: Decision-Making In State And Federal Sodomy Cases, Susan Ayres
Susan Ayres
In 1791, American states were enacting laws against sodomy at the same time they ratified the Bill of Rights, the first ten constitutional amendments meant to safeguard fundamental rights of individuals in a free society. In a March 1789 letter to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson asserted that a bill of rights was necessary to give the judiciary the power to protect such individual rights. Ironically, that which the judiciary gives, it may also take away, since "[t]he legislator is a writer. And the judge a reader."
This Article deconstructs recent sodomy cases in order to challenge judicial adoption or reinscription …
Gay And Lesbian Elders: History, Law, And Identity Politics In The United States, Nancy J. Knauer
Gay And Lesbian Elders: History, Law, And Identity Politics In The United States, Nancy J. Knauer
Nancy J. Knauer
The approximately two million gay and lesbian elders in the United States are an underserved and understudied population. At a time when gay men and lesbians enjoy an unprecedented degree of social acceptance and legal protection, many elders face the daily challenges of aging isolated from family, detached from the larger gay and lesbian community, and ignored by mainstream aging initiatives. Drawing on materials from law, history, and social theory, this book integrates practical proposals for reform with larger issues of sexuality and identity. Beginning with a summary of existing demographic data and offering a historical overview of pre-Stonewall views …