Departing from Deviance: A History of Homosexual Rights and Emancipatory Science in America [Hardcover]

Henry L. Minton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0226530434 | ISBN-13: 978-0226530437 | Edition: 1

The struggle to remove the stigma of sickness surrounding same-sex love has a long history. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its diagnostic classification of mental illness, but the groundwork for this pivotal decision was laid decades earlier. In this new study, Henry L. Minton looks back at the struggle of the American gay and lesbian activists who chose scientific research as a path for advancing homosexual rights. He traces the history of gay and lesbian emancipatory research from its early beginnings in the late nineteenth century to its role in challenging the illness model in the 1970s. By examining archival sources and unpublished manuscripts, Minton reveals the substantial accomplishments made by key researchers and relates their life stories. He also considers the contributions of mainstream sexologists such as Alfred C. Kinsey and Evelyn Hooker, who supported the cause of homosexual rights through the advancement of scientific knowledge. By uncovering this hidden chapter in the story of gay liberation, Departing from Deviance makes an important contribution to both the history of science and the history of sexuality.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The struggle to remove the stigma of sickness surrounding same-sex love has a long history. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its diagnostic classification of mental illness. But the groundwork for this pivotal decision was laid decades earlier. In this new study, Henry L. Minton looks back at the struggle of the American gay and lesbian activists who chose scientific research as a path for advancing homosexual rights. He traces the history of gay and lesbian emancipatory research from its early beginnings in the late nineteenth century to its role in challenging the illness model in the 1970s. By examining archival sources and unpublished manuscripts, Minton reveals the substantial accomplishments made by key researchers and relates their life stories. He also considers the contributions of mainstream sexologists such as Alfred C. Kinsey and Evelyn Hooker, who supported the cause of homosexual rights through the advancement of scientific knowledge. By uncovering this hidden chapter in the story of gay liberation, Departing from Deviance makes an important contribution to both the history of science and the history of sexuality.

About the Author

Henry L. Minton is a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Windsor, Canada. He is the author of Lewis M. Terman: Pioneer in Psychological Testing and Currents of Thought in American Social Psychology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226530434
• ISBN-13: 978-0226530437
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,461,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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