Rayside documents a high-profile controversy in each of three countries: gays and lesbians in the military in the United States, sexual orientation and human rights legislation in Canada, and the age-of-consent battle in the United Kingdom. In addition, in-depth interviews of openly gay elected officials from three countries--U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, Canadian Member of Parliament Svend Robinson, and British M.P. Chris Smith--provide an inside look at the political process: the negotiation of gay and lesbian policy issues on a daily basis, the attitudes of colleagues in various political parties, and the tensions created when grassroots and mainstream activism intersect with each other. The only major book to look at gay and lesbian politics in three culturally similar but politically disparate countries, On the Fringe explores the political workings and impact of a modern social movement.
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Book Description
Does the idea of equality for sexual minorities have as strong an influence as the media suggest? How often do politicians come out forthrightly in support of gay rights? Drawing on more than three hundred interviews with activists, politicians, officials, legislative aides, and journalists, David Rayside shows that gays, lesbians, and their political issues are still on the fringe of the political mainstream. His landmark study of political access demonstrates that, despite the overall tempering of anti-gay rhetoric in the 1990s, opponents of equality are formidable, and standing up for sexual minorities is still widely thought to be politically risky.
Editorial Reviews
From The Washington Post
Rayside gives great moral credence to the activist's romantic, right-or-wrong, all-or-nothing view of politics, but he never justifies their case. Probably when it comes down to it, their strategy leaves the gay community not on the fringe but beyond it.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In the state of virtual equality, gay and lesbian people are at once insiders, involved openly in government and public affairs to a degree never before achieved, and outsiders, shunned by our elected officials unless they need our money or votes in close elections. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, House of Commons, Chris Smith, Barney Frank, White House, Reform Party, Capitol Hill, New York, Svend Robinson, Liberal Party, Conservative Party, British Columbia, Gerry Studds, Labour Campaign, Tony Blair, Victory Fund, North America, Roman Catholic, Log Cabin, Allan Rock, Bill Clinton, House of Representatives, Neil Kinnock, Queen's Park, Armed Services Committee New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In the state of virtual equality, gay and lesbian people are at once insiders, involved openly in government and public affairs to a degree never before achieved, and outsiders, shunned by our elected officials unless they need our money or votes in close elections. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, House of Commons, Chris Smith, Barney Frank, White House, Reform Party, Capitol Hill, New York, Svend Robinson, Liberal Party, Conservative Party, British Columbia, Gerry Studds, Labour Campaign, Tony Blair, Victory Fund, North America, Roman Catholic, Log Cabin, Allan Rock, Bill Clinton, House of Representatives, Neil Kinnock, Queen's Park, Armed Services Committee New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 80
books:
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13
books
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- The Labour Party: A Centenary History by Brian Brivati on 7 pages
- Stranger Among Friends by David Mixner on 5 pages
- Against Nature: Essays on History, Sexuality and Identity by Jeffrey Weeks in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation by Urvashi Vaid in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Perfect Enemies: The Religious Right, the Gay Movement, and the Politics of the 1990s by Christopher Bull in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 80 books this book cites
- The Unfinished Revolution: Social Movement Theory and the Gay and Lesbian Movement (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) by Stephen M. Engel in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Lesbian and Gay Rights in Canada: Social Movements and Equality-Seeking, 1971-1995 by Miriam Smith in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Pink Blood: Homophobic Violence in Canada by Douglas Victor Janoff in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Making and Unmaking of Whiteness by Birgit Brander Rasmussen on page 262, and Back Matter
- Beyond the Closet: The Transformation of Gay and Lesbian Life by Steven Seidman in Back Matter
See all 13 books citing this book
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